


Watching the Doctor

by RedRobyn2



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Characters Watching Doctor Who, Everyone Needs A Hug, F/F, F/M, Family, Family Bonding, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Episode: s12e10 The Timeless Children, Pre-Episode: Revolution of the Daleks, The Doctor (Doctor Who) Needs a Hug, The Doctor is Not Okay (Doctor Who)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-16 16:21:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 138,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28959393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedRobyn2/pseuds/RedRobyn2
Summary: The Thirteenth Doctor and companions are brought together to help them better understand the Doctor's past and journey through the universe. The Doctor has been stuck in prison and not doing well and the Tardis decided she needs the support of her old friends to help her deal with certain revelations, plus it is about time they all talked and shared some secrets.(Characters watch the show)Post Timeless Child/Pre-Revolution of the Daleks.
Relationships: Amy Pond/Rory Williams, Martha Jones/Mickey Smith, The Doctor & Amy Pond & Rory Williams, The Doctor & Bill Potts, The Doctor & Clara Oswin Oswald, The Doctor & Donna Noble, The Doctor & Jack Harkness, The Doctor & Jack Harkness & Martha Jones, The Doctor & River Song, The Doctor & The Doctor's TARDIS, The Doctor & The Master (Doctor Who), The Doctor & Yasmin Khan & Graham O'Brien & Ryan Sinclair, The Doctor (Doctor Who) & Everyone, The Doctor (Doctor Who) & Rose Tyler, The Doctor/River Song, The Doctor/The Master (Doctor Who)
Comments: 54
Kudos: 115





	1. Old Friends and Reunions

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! Hope you're all well.  
> This time I'm trying my hand at Doctor Who. This is a typical watching the series fic but I am doing some of the Timeless Child arc first (I don't necessarily like it but I do want to see some of the companion's reactions to it) and then moving on to more random episodes.  
> The characters all come from after the last time we saw them, bar Jack, the Thirteenth Doctor, Graham, Yaz and Ryan who come from after the Timeless Child but before Revolution of the Daleks.  
> Also I am messing around with the Doctor's past/canon because we all know it is wibbly wobbly anyway - so just go with it.  
> I'm going to try and upload every week on a Sunday (work load permitting) - this week I give you two chapters though so we can actually get everything started.  
> So thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy. Please let me know what you think!  
> Robyn

134 days. 134 days stuck in a small grey cell with no company but her own thoughts. The Doctor was going mad lying flat on the floor staring at the ceiling as if it held all the universe's answers. She had given up on escape attempts mostly after the first 57 failed. She had no sonic, no TARDIS and no friends to help her. No one even knew she was alive let alone let alone in prison so she had no hope of anyone coming to help her break free from this boring jail cell.

Her thoughts were driving her more and more insane every day. Going in circles. Replaying all her greatest hits, the worst moments of her existence. And those were only the memories that she could remember. She had been trying so hard not to think about that because it meant acknowledging that she didn't know herself. If Gallifrey had been built on the back of the Timeless Child (her, she tried not to remember that part) and Gallifrey's history was billions of years old. How old did that make her? How many lives did she not remember? Nope, trying not to think about that. Many thoughts were preferable to that seemingly bottomless abyss of doom. Like punching the stupid smirk of the Master's stupid face the next time that she saw him. She knew she would see him again, he always escaped death (he had to).

Her vision went white. Blinking quickly, she jerked up rubbing her eyes. Nope, it wasn't her eyes. A glowing white sphere, which could only be described as a portal, hovered above her. Humming, as it spun hypnotically.

"What are you?" She whispered to herself. Pulling herself slowly to her feet she almost stumbled back to the floor, her legs numb from lying down for so long. How long had she been lying down trying to drown out her thoughts? 11 days, 13 hours, 28 minutes and 6 seconds. Too long.

Reaching up as if to poke it with her hand she hesitated just before touching the light. "Well, what is the worst that can happen? If I stay here any longer, I am going to go more insane than a purple Kinalyion on a roof playing the flute. By the way did I ever tell you guys about that time …" She looked to her sides. "Right, in prison on my own. Welp, here we go." She stared up at the mass of shining white light and poked it. Her eleventh self, Bowtie, had been right, the best strategy with the unknown was to poke it with a stick, or in case of a lack of sticks (as was the case here) her hand. At her touch the light started swirling faster and fell down consuming her. Her eyes widened before everything went black.

When she next came to, the first thing she noticed was how soft the floor was. After having spent 134 days in a cold, hard stone cell a carpeted floor was a change. A nice one. A nice purple, soft one. Well, whoever had kidnapped her had a sense of style at least. (She was decidedly not thinking about how purple was the Master's colour for their last couple of regenerations. She was decidedly not thinking about the Master full stop, especially not Missy). Pushing off the floor with weak arms she forced herself to sit up and stretch her sore legs while she took in her surroundings. Where was she?

The room was small and bland. Not much bigger than a large cupboard. Cream walls, nice purple carpet, no furniture and no window. There was, however, a door. Taking a breath to steady herself she stood up slowly leaning against a wall for a minute. When did standing get so hard? Was the room supposed to be spinning? Probably not. She really wished she had her sonic so she could try and get some understanding of where she was before she inevitably found trouble. Well (almost) anything was better than lying in her cell alone.

She shuffled towards the door. Was that voices she could hear? Leaning against the door she put her ear to the wood. Definitely voices. Voices that seemed familiar. Where did she know those voices from? Her eyes widened with a sharp breath. But that was impossible!

That was when the door decided to give in, opening and causing her to fall out of her small cupboard-like room back onto the floor. She wasn't having a good day. No, not a good existence at this point. The sound of the door swinging open and her falling face first onto the ground stopped the voices. Pushing herself onto her elbows and rolling over into a sitting position (for like the second? Third? Never mind) time that hour (day? Who knows how long she had been unconscious), she looked up into the new room.

For a start it was significantly bigger than the cupboard she had fallen out of. It had the same dark purple carpet and cream walls but in the middle of the room was a collection of Tardis blue chairs, sofas, beanbags and pillows all facing a large screen. It looked like some kind of home cinema. More importantly, however, was the people standing in the room. They had clearly been arguing but had stopped to look at her as she collapsed out of the cupboard.

She didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Clearly, she was hallucinating as most of these people couldn't be here. It was impossible. Closing her eyes tight and then opening them didn't get rid of them. Just as she was about to try something else, she didn't know what yet, she noticed a hand on her arm. It was gentle, not harsh, so friendly? She hoped so at least. Maybe not a hallucination – the touch felt too real. Dazedly she looked to the owner of the hand.

"You alright there, cockle?" It was Graham. Caring, supportive Graham. Caring, supportive Graham that should be safe at home on Earth not in her possibly-not-hallucination-visions. He smiled down at her with such a soft grandfatherly smile that made her stomach turn, what had she done to deserve that look?

"Graham?" She managed to croak out, her voice sore from disuse. Everything in her head was screaming at her to curl into a ball and wait for the visions to disappear. It would be less painful that way. She pushed that instinct to the side to focus on Graham and not falling on her face again as he helped her back up onto her feet.

"You okay? You look a bit dizzy mate." Ryan. She blinked at him slowly trying to figure out what was going on. "How are we here? How are you here? Where is here anyway?"

"I don't think she is ready to answer any of our questions yet, Ryan." Yaz. It was her fam, all three of them. "I don't think we have ever seen you this quiet. Are you okay?"

She ignored Ryan's mumble about Yaz getting to ask questions in favour of turning to blink at Yaz. Shaking her head, she forced herself to actually register what was going on and answer. "I'm fine. Yeah, fine. King, wait no, queen of fine me. Yeah. What happened?"

"No clue, cockle. We were all at home and then a white light kind of swallowed us? Woke up in this room with all these people. Only recognised that Jack fellow. Do you know them? Some of them seem to know each other. They've been talking for a while, well arguing is probably the better word for it. No one seems to have any idea what is going on, but your name keeps coming up." Graham led her over to sit in the nearest sofa while the other two followed. She looked at the others in the room. Ghosts. That's what they were. They were all talking and trying very hard not to watch her and her fam.

"Yeah, same thing happened to me. No idea where we are, hopefully not anywhere bad." She ignored the last question she wasn't ready to answer that one yet.

"Where have you been by the way? It's been over two months, we thought you were dead." Yaz stood in front of her, blocking the others from her roaming eyes. Her stance, crossed arms and stubborn, was grounding and the Doctor forced her eyes to meet Yaz's.

"The man from the boundary, Ko Sharmus came back and pressed the button. The Cyber Masters killed him. I managed to get away. I was going to come back to you, I swear." She started at Yaz before glancing at Graham and Ryan on either side of her, hoping they would see she was being honest (for once in her very long existence. How long?). "The Judoon got me. I've been in jail for the last while. I'm so sorry for everything, mainly the Cybermen, you shouldn't have been in that position. I'm so glad you're all safe."

That was when the others in the room decided to interfere. "Erm, like sorry to interrupt and all that, but did you say Cybermen? Like silver robot things?" It was Bill. Curious, young Bill who hadn't deserved any of what she got. Who should have been at home writing essays and studying, just living her life, instead of being shot and converted into a Cyberman.

"Yeah, you know them?" Ryan was the one that answered, moving to join Yaz standing in front of her, hiding her from everyone else in the room. "Do all of you know about them? Who are you all?"

"Well, hello there. Good to see you again Silver Fox and friends. I'm Captain Jack Harkness, as many of you know, lovey to see so many beautiful faces. I'm gonna assume that we all know the Doctor; as the people I know here all do and that's most of the people in this room, plus the way we've all been talking it sounds likely. You three are the latest companions or you were the last time I saw you, but I don't know the beauty behind you. Another companion?" How Jack managed to fit so much flirting into his speech was a mystery. She was also surprised at his obliviousness. He was usually a bit sharper than that and she knew her fam had told him that she was now female. He really didn't have any excuse for being so dumb, barring the whole no-idea-where-they-were-trapped-in-a-strange-room situation. However, she really wasn't ready to speak up, so was very thankful when another voice spoke instead, distracting Jack from his last question.

"I'm Professor River Song. Pleasure to meet you handsome, I've heard lots about you. I've heard lots about many of the people in this room actually if I'm right about your identities. I think it is safe to say we all know the Doctor but maybe we should do introductions before we figure a way out of here. Seeing as some of us know each other and others don't." River. She didn't even have to see her to know exactly what she looked like. Grinning wildly and flirting with Jack. Those two would make a disastrous pair, she had had nightmares about those two meeting. Between the guns and the flirting, they would probably destroy a few planets together and plenty of hearts. At least River speaking up meant that she didn't have to reveal herself yet. Plus, it was making her hallucination idea even weaker an argument, surely her mind wasn't cruel enough to make this scenario up.

"Professor? Of what, if you don't mind me asking beautiful?" Jack in his natural habitat. Of course, he hadn't changed a bit. She wasn't sure how to feel about him flirting with her wife, her stomach was doing summersaults but maybe that was from everything else going on.

"Archaeology, handsome. We can talk a bit later when we aren't trapped in a mysterious room for an unknown reason. I'd like to get to know you better for certain, I've heard some fantastic stories." The Doctor wasn't sure what to do with those mental images. She decided glaring at the carpet was the best way to focus. Was this real? It sounded real but it couldn't be.

"River's right. I mean about the introductions anyway. It's probably best to know who everyone is before we end up running for our lives as is typical when the Doctor is involved. I'm Amy Pond –. "

"Williams."

"Pond. And this is my husband Rory. River is our daughter. Complicated don't ask." Amelia Pond, her sweet little fairy-tale Amelia Pond and Rory the Roman. The girl and boy who waited.

"Yeah, not going to ask. I'm Bill and this egg is Nardole."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Martha Smith nee Jones, this is my husband Mickey." Dr Martha Jones and Mickey the idiot. Her past was really coming back to haunt her wasn't it.

"Erm, I'm Rose Tyler. It's good to see you guys again. Martha, Mickey you two got married? I'm so happy for you." Rose. Oh Rassilon, Rose. She should be on a parallel world, whoever had brought them here had some serious power. If this was real anyway, which she still wasn't convinced about.

"I'm Donna Temple-Noble and I want to know where we are! I remember everything now. God, I remember everything. How is that possible? Where is that bloody Spaceman anyway? I need to have words with him." Donna sounding the same as always. Shouting her problems into submission. Amazing and bold. Ready to scream at the universe if necessary.

"It's nice to meet you all. I've heard a lot about some of you. I'm Clara. Clara Oswald. It's good to meet you in person Nina." Her impossible girl, who she had forgotten. Memories really were important (and didn't that make her possible lack of memories all the more painful and infuriating).

"Nina, wait Souffle Girl? Oswin? Weren't you a dalek?"

"Hello, complicated. It was me but it also wasn't. Like I said complicated." Stars, was there anyone else. She hoped not. She didn't think she could handle anyone else.

Graham stood to join Ryan and Yaz. "Well, I'm Graham, this is my grandson Ryan and our friend Yaz. This is -." She grabbed his arm and shook her head desperately at Graham. She didn't want them to know yet.

"So which Doctor did you guys travel with?" Clara was the one to throw out a question to break up the awkward silence that followed Graham's abrupt stop.

"Which Doctor? What do you mean which Doctor?" Yaz asked, glancing bemused back at the Doctor. All she could do was smile sadly and nod back at the others. They would answer. She wasn't ready yet. She didn't know what to say to most of the people in this room apart from enough apologies to drown in. She had spent a lot of time alone in that small cell and all she had were her memories. She'd had plenty of time to reflect on how she failed all of them. And she had failed them all in some way. She always did.

"You must be new dear. The Doctor has a way of cheating death so to say. He changes his face in a process called regeneration. His whole-body changes with a vaguely different personality but he's ultimately the same person. I met Pinstripes on a couple of occasions, which was what he referred to as his tenth incarnation, but I mainly knew the next two – Chinny and Eyebrows." River. If she had met River in her tenth face to her view than maybe, just maybe, she was after the library. Hope swelled in her chest and her hearts were in her mouth.

"Jack and I travelled with his ninth one, Ears, and Mickey knew him too. We were with him, Mickey and I, I mean, when he regenerated into Pinstripes and we all travelled at varying times with him too." Rose decided to speak. Even if this turned out to be a huge dream it was nice to hear her – maybe imaginary – voice again. It had been so long. So long since she had seen many of the people in the room.

"Donna and I also travelled with Pinstripes at different times, although we met on a couple of occasions." Martha piped up for her and Donna. "Plus, we met Rose, Mickey (obviously) and Jack during the whole planets in the sky mess." Rassilon, that had been a day, seeing so many of her companions together and then having to say goodbye to them all. It had left her even more lonely than normal and had led to so many mistakes.

This time it was Amy that spoke. "From those descriptions and from what River has said I think we knew the one she called Chinny. If you're talking about the clumsy moron who wore bow ties, tweed and occasionally a fez when we weren't able to destroy it fast enough."

"Yeah, I heard a bit about both of you. The Ponds. Chinny was eleven. I travelled with him after you and then was there when he regenerated into his twelfth face – Eyebrows." Clara added, despite not being able to see her, the Doctor could tell she was nodding.

"If Eyebrows you mean tall, grey haired Scotsman. Kind of grandfatherly but a bit grumpy at times then that is the one Nardole and I know." Bill spoke from somewhere to her left, her voice laced in confusion and curiosity.

Another awkward silence. The weight of everyone's eyes were on her and the fam. They glanced back at her unsure what to say. She smiled in what she hoped was a reassuring manner but probably looked more like a pained grimace from the worry in their eyes. She couldn't avoid it any further, not without difficulty. She was as ready as she could be. She had to be. She wasn't.

She stood up on aching limbs and gently pushed between Ryan and Yaz who glanced at her in worry. She nodded and tried another smile. This one was clearly a bit better as they let her past. "They travel with me. Hi. I'm after Eyebrows by the way. Nice to see you all again although I wish it was under better circumstances. Oh well, we'll be out of this in a jiffy I'm sure. Hmn, not sure if I like that." She tried a full (fake) smile and put as much joy and bounce into her voice as she could manage but like before she didn't think it worked.

Stunned silence greeted her. She looked around the room at her past friends and family, taking them in but too afraid to meet anyone's eyes. "Well, I like this new body sweetie. Definitely an upgrade." She glanced sharply at River who smiled softly at her, moving closer as if to touch her.

She was beaten to the punch by Jack. He had charged forward and pulled her into a tight hug. She was smaller than him by a few inches now - curse her short legs – and he used that to his advantage. Lifting her up and spinning her around, her coat flying out behind her like a cape. A small laugh escaped her before she could help herself. When she was placed, gently, back on the floor a pair of lips met hers in a kiss before she could react. Then he pulled back, holding her shoulders and smiling at her. "Beautiful as always Doc. I should have known. Your newest friends mentioned you had changed."

"Stop it. You don't change Jack, do you?" This felt too real to be a dream. If it was, a cruel, cruel dream, she was going to enjoy it while she could. Rassilon, she had missed them. She always missed them.

She was surprised when she was hit with another body hugging her. Bill had rushed from the other side of the room and practically tackled her into a tight hug. "It's you right Doctor? Please tell me it's you. You looked so dead the last time I saw you but I didn't want to believe it!"

"Yeah, it's me Bill. What happened? I don't really remember much between the explosion and waking in the TARDIS, but I met a thing that told me some stuff but I didn't know what to believe." She relaxed out of the hug, putting her hands onto Bill's shoulders and taking her in. Happy to see her not as a Cyberman again. Testimony Bill had claimed Heather had saved her but she hadn't been sure she had wanted to get her hopes up at the time. Nardole stood next to Bill offering silent support to the pair, a grin on his face. It was good to have the pair of them back again.

"You blew yourself up you idiot. I found you lying in the forest with all the Cybermen dead and then Heather found me. She made me like her and we brought you back to the TARDIS. I've been travelling with her." Bill grinned up her, glad to see the Doctor alive. Then she pulled the Doctor back into a hug. "You stupid old man! Don't you dare do that to me again!"

"I'm so sorry Bill, I should have never taken you anywhere near that ship and I was an idiot to hope Missy had changed. I'm so sorry." The Doctor held Bill tight against her as if she could protect her from the rest of the world. They both pulled back at the same time, smiling.

"You know what I said about liking girls and people closer to my age, that was not a hint. I would say I missed out but I loved my space grandad." Bill grinned widely, nodding to someone behind the Doctor before moving swiftly out the way with a smirk.

She spun around to find Clara behind her. Puppy-like eyes wide and a soft smile on her face. "Do you remember-." The Doctor dived at her, tugging her into a hug. Clara laughed, putting her arms around the Doctor. "I'm guessing that's a yes. I've missed you too, you idiot. What's with all the hugs? I know you didn't like them as Eyebrows." She reluctantly pulled herself away from the hug, a wide smile on her face. "I think this is a special occasion, don't you?" Rassilon, she had missed Clara and Bill. Clara smiled knowingly before gesturing towards the other side of the room.

The Doctor edged nervously towards where Donna, Mickey, Martha and Rose were standing awkwardly watching the exchanges. She froze awkwardly in front of them, unsure what to do or to say. "Look at you Spaceman, speechless for once. Come here you idiot." Donna broke first, pulling her into a tight hug, so tight she thought she would have to use her respiratory bypass. "And don't think we won't be having words about the whole memory thing. I understand but it doesn't mean I'm happy about it. Though I have to say this is an upgrade from Mr Skinny."

"She's right. You're looking good Doctor." Martha smiled from next to Mickey, hands joined between them. Mickey nodded, grinning as he added; "Hey Boss."

"I could say the same about all of you. I'm glad you're all safe." She smiled happily at them, meaning every word.

"Doctor." Rose leapt forward, grabbing her and hugging her tightly for a couple of minutes. Before she stepped sharply back. "I've missed you and I'm so happy to see you again. But, from what the others have said, you've regenerated another three times since I last saw you which means you've died three times!" Her eyes burned angry and worried, for a minute the Doctor thought she was going to be slapped but Rose pulled her back into a tight hug.

"It's okay Rose. I'm fine, I always am." She ignored the disbelieving scoffs she received from everyone. "Just tell me, are you happy? On that other world I mean, with your parents and - you know." She couldn't finish the sentence.

"No, you're rarely fine. But yes, I am. Really am happy I mean, but that doesn't mean I can't miss you or Mickey. Talking of which." Rose moved away from the Doctor with a last grin, shifting towards Martha and Mickey. "I know I've already said it but I really do mean it. I'm so happy you too are together-." The Doctor decided that was the best time to move away from the conversation, moving towards the last people she had to greet properly.

"Well, I'm not going to hug first." Amy announced, arms crossed. So very Scottish and angry. The stare off lasted for only a minute before they both surged forward, giggling, into a hug.

"My Raggedy Man. Look at you, still no sense of fashion." Amy pulling her husband into the hug with them. River stood at the side smiling but letting them reunite. "My Ponds, it's so good to see you two again." She moved half way out of the hug, keeping her arms around both of them. Going up onto her toes to gently lay a kiss on their foreheads. She pushed down the annoyance of being smaller than them both, too happy to just be holding them again. Amy pulled away grinning wildly and shoved her away.

She stumbled, surprised, but was caught in strong familiar arms. She shifted her head, desperate to properly see her saviour. "River." Her wife smiled softly helping her stand steady then pulling her into a gentle kiss that the Doctor found herself chasing as River pulled back. "Hello sweetie. I'm guessing it has been a while for you." Her breath caught in her throat, she couldn't move or say anything just stared into her wife's eyes. "Oh sweetie, you need to breath." She nodded still unable to speak. Everything was over whelming, there was so many people here that she thought she would never see again. People she had mourned and cried over. This couldn't be a hallucination. It just couldn't. It was too cruel a thought.

That's when a new voice joined the conversation drawing everyone's attention. It was a lady, a familiar one. Dressed in a fancy laced blue dress, dark hair pulled messily out of her face. A smile prominent on her face. "Sexy?" It was Amy that voiced her thoughts.

"Sexy?" Someone, maybe Martha, asked in the background. She wasn't paying attention, too busy staring at her. River had backed away slightly, but remained close standing at her side, ready for action.

"The TARDIS, she got put into a body for a while. Long story involving a sentient TARDIS eating asteroid." Rory answered the question with a wave of his hand. They were all too used to this weirdness to question that any more clearly, bar a comment on the name from Jack.

"Hello my thief. Don't worry, it was me that brought you all here. You're safe."

"But what -?" She tried desperately to articulate a question, any one of the thousands flooding her mind as she moved to stand right in front of the TARDIS. The TARDIS took her face gently into her hands and smiled softly, leaning down to put their foreheads together for a minute before moving back slightly, hands still on her face.

"You need your friends and family. And they deserve to understand and they need to understand to help you. Your whole world has been shaken, your mental image of who you are has been cracked. I want to help before it becomes broken, my dear thief. You helped me when you stole me all those years ago, let me help you my thief." She pulled back further moving to face the others in the room, but she kept a steadying hand on the Doctor.

"I'm going to show you some of the Doctor's adventures. Important moments such as when she met you all and her regenerations since she first met Rose in her ninth, plus some nice adventures. So that you can understand and help each other. She has just found out some information that was hidden from her for a long time. Help her, she needs you and you may even enjoy yourselves. You are safe here; everything will be provided. The first episodes will be background to this secret she uncovered and after that it will be a bit more random. When you talk, the video will pause and resume when you stop." She looked pleadingly at everyone who nodded with varying degrees of certainty. "Oh, also there is one more guest for now. Don't worry he won't be able to hurt any of you, but he needs to understand arguably more than any of you and they need each other more than you know." With that final statement she smiled softly at the Doctor before disappearing.

Then a humanoid shape fell from a swirling white portal on the roof to land with a hard thump on the floor. With a groan the shape rolled over and pulled itself up onto its feet. "Well, that wasn't pleasant, and before you say anything that infernal machine already explained everything to me. I promise I won't try and kill any of your pets for now." The Master dusted imaginary dirt off his coat. He turned to the Doctor with one of his signature wicked smirks and a wink. "My dear Doctor, looking a bit rough. Having trouble with the truth?"

She took a quick step backwards and tried desperately to decide if it was worth hitting him (again). Of course, he wasn't dead. Death never stuck when it came to him. She hated the fact that she was at least a little relieved to see him again.

"Master." She managed to grit out, aware what the word would cause. For a second - she could have sworn his smirk turned softer, more like a smile. Then the outrage of her friends caught her attention.

"The Master? But he's dead. You burnt his body. Doctor!?" It was Martha that spoke, Marth that had suffered so much at his hands in the Year that Never Was.

"Wait, Missy regenerated again? I thought you said she left with herself? Himself? The other one – Razor!" Bill rocked on her feet, ready to move out of the way of danger.

"He's never been one for staying dead. Yes, Bill this is the regeneration after Missy. Martha I've met him a few times since you last saw him. I'm sorry Martha, so sorry. For everything and I know that sounds hollow and pathetic but I mean it. I never treated you right when you travelled with me and for that I'm sorry. You were and are amazing, you have achieved so much and were always so ready to help everyone. I swear to you he won't hurt you or anyone else here, if the TARDIS says he can't he won't. Trust her, not him or even me. Trust the TARDIS."

She moved closer to Martha, reaching out a hand towards her but not quite touching her. She looked up into her eyes for the first time since arriving, begging and pleading for her to believe her. When she received a small smile and nod, she gave one back. She shifted, taking a minute to plead with Jack, Clara and Bill – the ones that had been most affected by the Master. She got a few hesitant smiles and nods back. Turning sharply back to the Master "And you, sit down and shut up." She pointed at him with a glare which only seemed to entertain him but he did as he was told and sat gracefully in a comfortable chair spaced slightly away from the others.

She watched him for a few minutes to ascertain his intentions before believing he would stay where he was. She turned back to everyone else, a large grin on her face that likely came out more as a grimace. "Well, everyone let's sit down and watch then. It doesn't look like we will be getting out of this any other way."

Everyone nodded slowly before moving to sit down. Rose and Jack took the sofa furthest to the left of the big screen. Donna, Mickey and Martha took the one next to them on the left side of the middle. Then Amy, Rory and River settled on the next one on the right middle. Bill, Nardole and Clara each took a beanbag spaced in front of the sofas. The Doctor and her fam took the last sofa, furthest to the right. The Master remained in his armchair to the right of the Doctor. She glanced at him, of course he would end up next to her, she didn't trust him anywhere else.

"Ready? Well, here we go."


	2. The Night and Day of the Doctor

On the large blank screen, the words 'The Night of the Doctor' appeared and then the first video started to play. The Doctor sat fidgeting and shuffling around, unable to stay still. Terrified about what would be shown, she trusted the TARDIS but that didn't mean she was at all happy with the situation. There were so many things she didn't want her friends to know, especially her fam. She had tried so hard to try and keep them safe, not telling them nearly as much as she had told her companions in the past. All for nothing.

**[Spaceship]**

**CASS: Help me, please. Can anybody hear me?**

The Doctor's eyes widened in shock and recognition. It had been a very long time but she still recognised the young girl on screen. Her companions looked at each other trying to see if any of them recognised the girl to try and understand which Doctor would be shown first, but none were able too. The Doctor curled up on herself more, she knew what was coming and she hated it. She hated that she hadn't been able to save Cass, hated how she had become a soldier and she hated her part in the war.

**COMPUTER: Please state the nature of your ailment or injury.  
CASS: I'm not injured, I'm crashing. I don't need a doctor.**

There were a few chuckles around the room. "I don't think you're going to get a choice." Mickey spoke up grinning.

**COMPUTER: A clear statement of your symptoms will help us provide the medical practitioner appropriate to your individual needs.  
CASS: I'm trying to send a distress signal. Stop talking about doctors.  
DOCTOR: I'm a doctor. But probably not the one you're expecting. Where are the rest of the crew?  
(This Doctor is Paul McGann.)**

"Woah, is that you?" Bill asked, leaning forward to inspect the screen.

"Yes, my eight incarnation. Though not for much longer." The Doctor sighed. Her comment drew some concerned and curious looks but she didn't look away from the screen so the others decided it best not to question her. The Master shot her a look, he had a feeling he knew what was going to happen.

**CASS: Teleported off.  
DOCTOR: But you're still here.  
CASS: I teleported them.  
DOCTOR: Why you?  
CASS: Everyone else was screaming.**

"Oh, I like her." River grinned, winking at her wife but failed to get a reaction. Her grin shrunk, changing into a small frown. Whatever was going to happen couldn't be anything good for the Doctor to be still and staring blankly at the screen.

**DOCTOR: Welcome aboard.  
CASS: Aboard what?  
DOCTOR: I'll show you.  
(He leads her along the corridor away from the bridge.)  
CASS: Where are we going?  
DOCTOR: Back of the ship.  
CASS: Why?  
DOCTOR: Because the front crashes first. Think it through. Oh!**

"Be nice!" Donna berated the Doctor who smiled a little in surrender.

"I don't really think it makes much difference; the ship is still crashing no matter what end you are on." Rory pointed out, ever the sensible and practical one.

"It still gives you a little but more time, plus I had a plan Roman." The Doctor tried to defend herself one heartedly. It wasn't like her plan had worked, but at least she had had one. Not that it was particularly complicated, get back to the TARDIS before the ship crashed, it should have been fool-proof. Which in her case meant it obviously had to go wrong.

**(The bulkhead seals itself.)  
DOCTOR: Why did you do that?  
CASS: Emergency protocols.  
(Out comes the sonic screwdriver.)  
DOCTOR: What's your name?  
CASS: Cass.  
DOCTOR: You're young to be crewing a gunship, Cass.  
CASS: I wanted to see the universe. Is it always like this?  
DOCTOR: If you're lucky.**

"Ehm Doc, I don't think being on a crashing space ship is particularly lucky." Graham argued, with the vast majority of the room nodding in agreement.

**(The bulkhead door opens to reveal the Tardis.)**

"Oh, so that's your plan." Martha nodded to herself, it seemed so simple but she had a bad feeling it wouldn't be. It never was with the Doctor.

**DOCTOR: Don't worry, it's bigger on the inside.  
CASS: What did you say? Bigger on the inside, is that what you said?  
DOCTOR: Yes. Come on, you'll love it.  
CASS: Is this a Tardis?**

"She knew what a TARDIS was?" Rose asked curious and surprised. When she had travelled with the Doctor it was usually only his enemies that knew what it was.

"Yes, the Time Lords were very well known back then." The Doctor bit her lip, before taking a deep breath. She would have to tell them. River and Jack were already starting to look suspicious. "This was during the Time War; everyone knew who the Time Lords were because they were fighting everywhere. This was before I put up the Time Lock to try and prevent some of the destruction."

Many of her older companions nodded in understanding, most had heard bits and pieces about the war. The newer ones, her current fam and Bill, however, looked even more confused.

"Time War? What are you talking about?" Ryan asked. The companions that knew about the war looked at him in a bit of surprise, did they really not know about the war?

"The Last Great Time War was a war between my people and the Daleks. It was raging across all of time and space and it was destroying the universe. Whole planets were obliterated, species went extinct, trillions died. For a long time, I refused to fight but this, this is what dragged me back home to fight in the war. To end the war I did something terrible, horrifying. Or at least I thought I did." The Doctor tried her best to explain without getting lost in the memories of al the horrors she had seen and done. The older companions listened on in sympathy and curiosity for her last statement. The newer ones though, just looked shocked and a tad scared to know what she had done to end the war.

**DOCTOR: Yes, but you'll be perfectly safe, I promise you.  
CASS: Don't touch me!**

"I'm guessing she knew what you were and was not happy about it." Jack asked the Doctor who grimaced in response. He was the one that had the best understanding of this in some ways. The Time Agency had legends about the Time Lords and they weren't particularly nice ones.

**DOCTOR: I'm not part of the war. I swear to you, I never was.  
CASS: You're a Time Lord.  
DOCTOR: Yes, I'm a Time Lord, but I'm one of the nice ones.  
CASS: Get away from me!  
DOCTOR: Well, look on the bright side. I'm not a Dalek.  
CASS: Who can tell the difference any more?**

The companions were all taken aback by that statement and most looked ready to argue with the screen but the Doctor interrupted their oncoming protests.

"It was during the war and in wars anyone can become a monster." The comment was quiet, drawing sympathetic and concerned looks but she refused to meet any of their eyes. She risked a quick glance at the Master who met her eye for a second, the pair of them were the only ones that truly understood what the Time Lords had become during the war. Her friends had no understanding of what they were like. They all thought the Master was the mad renegade but in fact most of the Time Lords had a closer resemblance to him than the Doctor, especially during the war.

River and Jack shared a look. Both had heard stories, but to see how people reacted to the Doctor was different all together, she may not always be welcome everywhere but this was something different.

**(She closes the bulkhead door between herself and the Doctor.)  
DOCTOR: Cass!  
CASS: It's deadlocked. Don't even try.  
DOCTOR: Cass, just open the door. I'm trying to help.  
CASS: Go back to your battlefield. You haven't finished yet. Some of the universe is still standing.  
DOCTOR: I'm not leaving this ship without you.  
CASS: Well, you're going to die right here. Best news all day.  
DOCTOR: Cass, Cass. Cass! Cass! Cass!**

"You idiot." The Mater remarked, trying to appear casual but the comment had slipped out.

"For once I agree. Were you trying to get yourself killed? She clearly wasn't going to come with you, you tried but you can't save everyone and you shouldn't die trying to save someone that doesn't want to be saved!" River snapped at the Doctor, frustrated with her wife's self-destructive tendencies.

"I couldn't just leave her." The Doctor protested feebly, but was met with her wife's angry glare.

**[Planet surface]**

**(KaBOOM as the ship impacts a planet.)**

The majority of the room shot concerned looks at the Doctor, worrying about how she had survived. She clearly had, to be in the room with them but it didn't make them worry any less. The whole video was unsettling, having to see the Doctor before any of them knew her and the one from around the war as well.

**OHILA: And here he is at last. The man to end it all. My sisters, the Doctor has returned to Karn. We have always known in our bones that one day he would return here. Such a pity he's dead.**

"Karn? And what are they talking about? You're obviously not dead, you're here." Amy questioned; eyes narrowed ready to go on the attack if necessary.

"Karn is Gallifrey's sister planet. And yes, I was dead, they brought me back to induce a regeneration." The Doctor shrugged, sometimes she wished that she had just died back then, it would have been so much simpler.

**[Temple]**

**(The Doctor wakes with a start.)  
DOCTOR: Cass!  
OHILA: If you refer to your companion, we are still attempting to extract her from the wreckage.  
DOCTOR: She wasn't my companion.  
OHILA: She's almost certainly dead. No one could survive that crash.  
DOCTOR: I did.  
OHILA: No. We restored you to life, but it's a temporary measure. You have a little under four minutes.  
DOCTOR: Four minutes? That's ages. What if I get bored, or need a television, couple of books? Anyone for chess? Bring me knitting.**

"You really can't ever stay quiet can you Doctor?" Clara smirked, glad to see the Doctor on screen at least a little bit back to normal. The Doctor managed a quick grin, it was true and she wouldn't deny it. Amy and Rory rolled their eyes in sync, both thinking about how hyperactive the Doctor had been during the Cube fiasco.

**OHILA: You have so little breath left. Spend it wisely.  
DOCTOR: Hang on. Is it you? Am I back on Karn? You're the Sisterhood of Karn, Keepers of the Flame of utter boredom.  
OHILA: Eternal life.**

The Master chuckled, being the only one who actually understood what the pair on screen were actually talking about. The rest of the room did crack a few smiles though for the more typical Doctor like behaviour.

**(See The Brain of Morbius for more details.)  
DOCTOR: That's the one.  
OHILA: Mock us if you will, but our elixir can trigger your regeneration, bring you back. Time Lord science is elevated here on Karn. The change doesn't have to be random. Fat or thin, young or old, man or woman?**

"They can control it?" Rose blinked, surprised.

"Most Time Lords can to some degree. Although Karn has turned it into some sort of science. The Doctor just struggles with it." The Master smirks, shooting a glance at the Doctor. Both had the stray thought about whether that was due to her true nature.

The Doctor turned to River to try and get support but she just grinned teasingly. "Oh, don't look at her dear. I'm sure she has better control than you from what I've heard." The Master continued on, interrupting her as she was about to add another protest. "Do I need to mention Romana?" The Doctor pouted slightly but gave up trying to defend herself. Somehow the comment about River had gone largely unnoticed by those that don't know her.

**DOCTOR: Why would you do this for me?  
OHILA: You have helped us in the past.  
DOCTOR: You were never big on gratitude.  
OHILA: The war between the Daleks and the Time Lords threatens all reality. You are the only hope left.  
DOCTOR: It's not my war. I will have no part of it.**

Her friends looked at her in concern, which seemed to be a permeant feature on their faces when they looked at her now. "Why did you refuse to fight?" Yaz asked cautiously, despite her apprehension she was curious to know more about her friend.

The Doctor bit her lip, contemplating her answer. "A lot of reasons. I was a renegade as far as Gallifrey was concerned. They only liked me when I made myself useful and that wasn't particularly often. I didn't like being used and I felt like I didn't owe them anything. I thought that I could do a better job staying on the fringes and helping people not fighting on the front lines, I made a terrible soldier." She scoffed before steeling herself for the last bit of truth, the truth they deserved to know. "And I didn't want to go home just to find my family and friends dead, I wasn't sure how I would cope. Before the war, I at least knew they were mostly safe but after it started, I had no way of knowing who was still alive. I was scared."

"It's alright to be scared. I don't know myself but from what I've seen and heard between you and grandad I don't need to guess that war is terrifying. And your family, of course you were scared for your family, that's normal." Donna somehow managed to toe a thin line of reassurance and exasperation with her apparent idiocy.

The Doctor nodded in thanks at Donna, trying to push down the wave of emotion that threatened to overtake her with the memories. No one was brave enough to ask about her family, dreading the answer. The Master glared at the floor, he had his own memories of war and his family and they weren't pretty either.

**OHILA: You can't ignore it forever.  
DOCTOR: I help where I can. I will not fight.  
OHILA: Because you are the good man, as you call yourself?  
DOCTOR: I call myself the Doctor.  
OHILA: It's the same thing in your mind.  
DOCTOR: I'd like to think so.**

She shared a small smile with Clara, both thinking about to her time debating the issue as Eyebrows and then her speech to Missy in the graveyard. She was the Doctor, yes, but that didn't mean she was a good man nor that she was a bad one. It meant she tried her best to be kind and to help.

**OHILA: In that case, Doctor, attend your patient.  
(Cass is brought in and laid on the altar stone. The Doctor scans her with his screwdriver.)  
OHILA: You're wasting your time. She is beyond even our help.  
DOCTOR: She wanted to see the universe.  
OHILA: She didn't miss much. It's very nearly over.  
DOCTOR: I could have saved her. I could have got her off, but she wouldn't listen.  
OHILA: Then she was wiser than you. She understood there was no escaping the Time War. You are a part of this, Doctor, whether you like it or not.  
DOCTOR: I would rather die.**

A few companions flinched at the bluntness of her statement. The Doctor grimaced, she had been so determined back then but had wavered at the sight of Cass and gone into the hell they called the war. She came out a different person. She had seen so many wars during her time as a traveller but it was different seeing it on your own planet and at that scale.

**OHILA: You're dead already. How many more will you let join you? If she could speak, what would she say?  
DOCTOR: To me? Nothing. I'm a Time Lord. Everything she despised.  
OHILA: She would beg your help, as we beg your help now. The universe stands on the brink. Will you let it fall? Fast or strong, wise or angry. What do you need now?**

Clara had been watching Ohila during the video, trying to place why she seemed so familiar than it hit her. "She was there on Gallifrey during the whole … thing." She waved her hand trying to encompass the mess with the confession dial and the Doctor's return to Gallifrey.

"Yes, she was." The Doctor nodded; the pair ignored the confused eyes of the rest of the room.

**(The Doctor fingers Cass' baldric.)  
DOCTOR: Warrior.  
OHILA: Warrior?  
DOCTOR: I don't suppose there's a need for a doctor any more. Make me a warrior now.**

"There's always a need for a doctor." River muttered, eyes pleading with the Doctor who smiled sadly at her shaking her head.

**OHILA: I took the liberty of preparing this one myself.  
(She hands him a steaming chalice.)  
DOCTOR: Get out. Get out! All of you. Will it hurt?  
OHILA: Yes.  
DOCTOR: Good. Charley, C'rizz, Lucie, Tamsin, Molly, friends, companions I've known, I salute you. And Cass, I apologise.**

The Doctor looked down at the floor in remembrance of all those friends she has lost, those that had let her and those she left. Even if they had left for better lives, she still missed them.

"Amy you asked me once who I believed in." The Doctor smiled sadly at the Ponds. Amy nodded quickly curious where she was going with this. "I believe in you. My friends, companions, the people that travel with me. You all change me as much as I change you, you all teach me so much. You've always been the best of me." She nodded almost absently minded to herself. "I look in on everyone who has travelled with me. They don't always see me but I do watch them, make sure they're happy. Everyone I can, from the first to all of you." She leaned forward from her seat, hands fiddling with the edge of her coat, offering a weary smile to her friends. They offered sad smiles back, happy that she didn't forget them but wondering somewhere in the back of their minds when she had looked in on them.

**Physician, heal thyself.  
(The Doctor drinks the elixir and staggers, dropping the chalice. Regeneration energy starts to surge through his body. He doubles over. White out.)  
OHILA: Is it done?  
(A figure takes Cass's baldric and puts it on.)  
WARRIOR: Doctor no more.  
(We are shown the reflection of a young John Hurt.)**

Before anyone could say anything, not that many of them could verbalise the feelings pooling in their stomach the words 'Day of the Doctor' came up on the large screen. They all faced the screen nervous and unsure of what would appear next.

**[Outside Coal Hill Secondary School]**

**(A policeman is on his beat past the sign to I M Foreman's scrap yard at 76 Totter's Lane. Note - Chairman of the School Governors is I Chesterton.)**

"Wait, Chesterton? Ian Chesterton?" The Doctor looked up at Clara, knowing she was the only one around at the time, being a teacher at the school. She had a sinking feeling she knew what this video would be about.

"Yeah, you know him?" Clara watched the Doctor, trying to gauge why she knew her boss.

"He was Susan's science teacher at Coal Hill in the 60's and got curious about us. He was one of the first humans to travel with me after I sort of kidnapped him along with another teacher – Barbara. Last I heard they got married, had their own kids and grandkids." The Doctor smiled softly stuck in old memories. That was a long time ago.

"Susan?" She didn't even know who had asked that.

"My granddaughter." No one asked anymore questions thankfully. She started at the screen trying to supress old memories.

**CLARA [OC]: Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one. Marcus Aurelius.**

**[Classroom]**

**The end of class bell rings. A young man rushes in as the other students leave.)  
CLARA: Have you been running?  
TOM: Are you okay? There was a call for you at the office, from your doctor.  
CLARA: Did he leave an address?  
(He hands her a piece of paper. She grabs her motorcycle gear and leaves. The Tardis is parked on the side of a lonely country road. Clara sounds her horn and drives straight at it. The doors open to let her in.)**

"Oh, is this -?" Clara asked, realising what the video was but wanting to check with the Doctor. It made more sense now, taking the first video into consideration.

"Yeah, it's that I think." The Doctor smiled sadly at her, taking a moment to take her in. It had been a while since she had last seen Clara, let alone had all her memories of her.

**[Tardis]**

**(The Doctor is reading a book on Advanced Quantum Mechanics.)  
DOCTOR: Draught.**

"Is that really you, Doc?" Graham asked watching the screen bemused. "I know these guys have mentioned it and even you said about it when we first met you but, it's a bit hard to get your head around."

"Yep, that was me Graham. That was my face two regenerations ago, I believe my delightful friends over there referred to him as Chinny." She answered grinning.

**(Clara clicks her fingers and the doors close.)**

"When have you been able to get the Tardis to open and close like that?" Rose asked.

"Have they not always been able to do that?" Amy answered. The pair, and everyone else, looked to the Doctor.

"Since just before Pinstripes regenerated into Chinny. Donna you were there, the library, remember? River showed me. Didn't really start doing it until Chinny though." The Doctor nodded at said companion.

**DOCTOR: Fancy a week in ancient Mesopotamia followed by future Mars?  
CLARA: Will there be cocktails?  
DOCTOR: On the Moon.  
CLARA: The Moon'll do.  
(They laugh and embrace.)  
DOCTOR: How's the new job? Teach anything good?  
CLARA: No. Learn anything?  
DOCTOR: Not a thing.  
(They slap palms. Alert. Tardis interference detected.)**

Clara and the Doctor shared a bittersweet smile, both thinking back to happier days before everything really went crazy. Back when travelling and trouble was constant but not quite so overwhelming.

**CLARA: What's happening?  
DOCTOR: Whoa, whoa. We're taking off, but the engines aren't going.  
(Because the Tardis has been grabbed by a lifting grapple from a helicopter.)  
PILOT [OC]: Windmill Eleven to Greyhouse leader. Blue Eagle is airborne. Ready to receive. We're on our way.**

**[Outside the White Tower]**

**OSGOOD: Hello? Kate Stewart's phone. Oh, hold on. Excuse me. Ma'am. Ma'am!  
KATE: The ravens are looking a bit sluggish. Tell Malcolm they need new batteries.**

"Oh, it's Kate." Amy grinned; she hadn't seen Kate since the whole cube invasion. Being stuck in New York in the past made it kind of hard to meet up with old friends. She was finding it a bit weird watching Clara interact with her Doctor but she knew it was necessary, they always needed someone and she had told him to find someone.

**OSGOOD: It's him. Sorry, it's your personal phone, but, well, I recognised the ring tone. It's him, isn't it?  
(She gets a bit breathless as she hand the phone over.)  
KATE: Inhaler.  
(Her assistant uses her inhaler. Notice the very long multicoloured scarf wrapped around her neck.)  
KATE: Doctor, hello. We found the Tardis in a field. I'm having it brought in.**

**[Tardis]**

**(The Doctor is hanging out of the door, using the external emergency telephone.)  
DOCTOR: No kidding.  
KATE [OC]: Where are you?  
(He holds the phone up towards the helicopter as they fly up the Thames.)**

"How do manage to get yourself into these situations Doctor?" Jack laughed at the put out look on her face. She was too busy resisting the urge to stick her tongue out and enjoying the burst of joy at being with her friends and family again to really mean it though.

**[Outside the White Tower / Tardis]**

**KATE: Oh, my god! Oh, Doctor, I'm so sorry. We had no idea you were still in there. Come on.  
PILOT [OC]: Roger. New heading two zero seven. Changing course.  
(The turn sends the Doctor out of the door. Clara manages to grab hold of his feet.)  
KATE: Doctor, can you hear me? I don't think he can hear me.  
DOCTOR: Next time, would it kill you to knock?  
KATE: I'm having you taken directly to the scene. Doctor, hello, are you okay?  
DOCTOR: Whoa! I'm just going to pop you on hold.  
(He changes position to hang onto the base of the Tardis with his hands.)  
KATE: Doctor?  
CLARA: Doctor!**

"You're completely mad." Martha shook her head, smiling widely.

**(They fly to - )**

**(Trafalgar Square]**

**SOLDIER: Atten - shun!  
(The Doctor drops down before the Tardis is lowered to the ground and salutes Kate, Osgood and the squad of UNIT soldiers waiting for him.)  
DOCTOR: Why am I saluting?  
KATE: Doctor, as Chief Scientific Officer, may I extend the official apologies of UNIT  
DOCTOR: Kate Lethbridge Stewart, a word to the wise. As I'm sure your father would have told you, I don't like being picked up.**

There was a round of snickers and the Doctor grinned, it had definitely sounded better in her head.

**CLARA: That probably sounded better in his head.**

"Lethbridge-Stewart?" The Master spoke up for the first time since being banished to his armchair.

"Yes, the Brigadier's daughter. I'm sure you remember dear old Alistair." She smirked at him, enjoying how he shuffled in his chair uncomfortably. They both remembered all too well the days when she had worked for UNIT when she was banished to Earth in her third regeneration as well as several other instances.

"I thought I had killed her, back on that plane during 3W?" The Master remembered.

"Nope, you are an idiot and turned her father into one of your Cybermen. He saved her. I bet you are happy you didn't meet him; I think he would have tried to shoot you again. Oh wait, he did. Besides this is before that." She grinned smugly at the Master who decided to ignore her. The companions who weren't aware of what they were talking about watched the conversation confused and concerned. Especially those that knew the Master/Missy.

**KATE: I'm acting on instructions direct from the throne. Sealed orders from her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth the First.  
CLARA: The Queen? The First? Sorry, Elizabeth the First?**

"Didn't she want to kill you the last time we met?" Martha spoke up, smiling at the new Doctor.

"Complicated but yes. I think I kind of deserved it this time though." The Doctor grinned back at Martha with a real smile, it was good to see her happy. She also ignored the Master's muttered comments about how she usually deserved it.

**KATE: Her credentials are inside.  
(The Doctor is about to break the seal on the message when Kate points back to the National Gallery.)  
KATE: No. Inside.  
DOCTOR: (to Osgood) Nice scarf.**

"It is as horrible as the one you wore in your fourth face Doctor. You have no sense of fashion, dear." The Master smirked at her smugly.

"First of all, I am pretty sure that is my scarf, no I don't really know how she got it. Second, I have a great fashion sense. Besides it isn't like you can talk, do you not remember all your horrible fashion choices. Remember the capes? And Missy looked like an Edwardian/Victorian Mary Poppins!" She glared back at him. Both of them ignoring Bill's snickering.

"I'm sorry sweetie but I have to agree with him. You have a horrible fashion sense and everyone here knows it." The Doctor crossed her arms over her chest with a humph, not actually upset by the betrayal (well, only a little). Trying to ignore everyone's laughs but she couldn't stop a small smile breaking across her face still happy that everyone was together and safe for once.

, **  
KATE: What's our cover story for this?  
OSGOOD: Er, Derren Brown.  
KATE: Again?  
OSGOOD: Oh, we've sent him flowers.  
(The Doctor and Kate head up the steps to the gallery.)  
SOLDIER: Atten-shun! Right, I want a secure perimeter around the gallery.**

**[National Gallery]**

**CLARA: Did you know her, Elizabeth the First?  
DOCTOR: Unified Intelligence Task Force.  
CLARA: Sorry?**

"You always do that!" Clara sighed annoyed.

"Do what?"

"Avoid the question."

**DOCTOR: This lot. UNIT. They investigate alien stuff. Anything alien.  
CLARA: What, like you?  
DOCTOR: I work for them.  
CLARA: You have a job?  
DOCTOR: Why shouldn't I have a job? I'd be brilliant at having a job.  
CLARA: You don't have a job.  
DOCTOR: I do. This is my job. I'm doing it now.  
CLARA You never have a job.  
DOCTOR: I do. I do.**

"You have a job? Yeah right Doctor. You can't even sit still for five minutes." Amy scoffed grinning at her.

"I do! I swear. Well did. Last I heard UNIT was having financial troubles but I used to work with them back in the 70's? 80's? Something like that. I was scientific advisor. Martha, Donna you should believe me. Both of you have seen me work for UNIT." She explained smugly.

"I don't think anyone really believes you, Doc." Graham laughed, becoming more comfortable with the strangers surrounding them but still a bit unsure about what was going on. She knew the three of her fam were curious to learn more about her. Probably like everyone else in the room.

"Unfortunately, I can vouch for her, she did work for them. Semi unwillingly as she was exiled to Earth for a while without any knowledge to repair her Tardis." The Master smirked at her, undoubtedly remembering those days so long ago.

"It wasn't unwilling, I just didn't like being stuck in one time and place for so long. I enjoyed working with UNIT, mostly. Besides, you spent a lot of time around as well annoying me and failing to take over the Earth."

**(A painting is unveiled of an alien Citadel on fire and under attack.)**

The look on both Time Lord's faces was intense. The Doctor had been expecting it but the Master was completely taken aback to see it. They glanced at each other before the Doctor remembered what he had done to Gallifrey and turned sharply away.

**KATE: Elizabeth's credentials, Doctor.  
CLARA: But, but that's not possible.  
DOCTOR: No more.  
KATE: That's the title.  
DOCTOR: I know the title.  
KATE: Also known as Gallifrey Falls.**

"I've only heard rumours about the painting. Which is the real title?" River asked glancing in concern at her wife, having an idea what they might see in the video.

"Both and neither, you'll see." She smiled sadly back at her wife with a nod, answering the unasked question. She had told River about many things during their twenty-four years of domestic bliss on Darillium.

**DOCTOR: This painting doesn't belong here, not in this time or place.  
CLARA: Obviously.  
DOCTOR: It's the fall of Arcadia, Gallifrey's second city.**

"That's the Time War?" Martha asked quietly. The Doctor nodded sadly, they would all be seeing a lot more than she would have liked. There were too many bad memories from that time and her method of running from them had been doing quite fine until the TARDIS had decided to interfere.

The three newest companions shared a look. They didn't know much about the Time War apart from what the Doctor had already explained but they recognised the word Gallifrey – the Doctor's home. Was this why the Doctor didn't want to take them to her home? But what about the place they had been on the other side of the border. Was this how it had gotten destroyed? Things weren't quite fitting together.

**CLARA: But how is it doing that? How is that possible? It's an oil painting in 3D.  
(She steps forward and we can see that she is correct.)  
DOCTOR: Time Lord art. Bigger on the inside. A slice of real time, frozen.**

"Woah, that's so cool. Why did you never show me these kinds of cool things?!" Bill piped up from her place on a beanbag.

"I took you to cool places! Didn't you enjoy the Frost Fair?"

"We almost got eaten by a giant fish thing!"

"Yeah, but we didn't and we had some fun, plus I took you to lots of other places Bill!"

"Yes, when you were supposed to be guarding the vault and shouldn't have left the university!" Nardole broke in arms crossed as he tried to give her a stern glare.

"Oh, shut up Nardole, it was fine."

"University?" Martha was the one to ask. Everyone had watched the conversation with smiles on their faces remembering all the cool places the Doctor had taken them. Plus, all the trouble they eventually found.

"Yeah, I taught at St Luke's University in Bristol for 70 years, a few years or so ago from my perspective, as Eyebrows."

"Yep, she? He? They were my tutor. His lectures were crazy." Bill added smiling at the Doctor.

"Why did you stick around like that? You couldn't even manage a year with us when those cube things attacked." Rory pointed out.

"Complicated. Unfortunately, I'm sure it will be explained at some point now hush Rory the Roman!"

**KATE: Elizabeth told us where to find it, and its significance.  
(The Doctor takes Clara's hand.)  
CLARA: You okay?  
DOCTOR: He was there.  
CLARA: Who was?  
DOCTOR: Me. The other me. The one I don't talk about.  
CLARA: I don't understand.  
DOCTOR: I've had many faces, many lives. I don't admit to all of them. There's one life I've tried very hard to forget. He was the Doctor who fought in the Time War, and that was the day he did it. The day I did it. The day he killed them all. The last day of the Time War. The war to end all wars between my people and the Daleks. And in that battle there was a man with more blood on his hands than any other, a man who would commit a crime that would silence the universe. And that man was me.**

She glanced around the room, refusing to meet anybody's eyes. She had run for so long, trying to get away from that incarnation, the soldier, the warrior. She was conflicted, on one side they would see that she hadn't destroyed her home, that she hadn't committed double genocide but on the other her newer friends would learn about what she had almost done, about the kind of person she was really. And she would have to share the Master's destruction of Gallifrey.

She glanced at the Master. All the time she had fought in the war and she hadn't known he was alive; didn't know he had been resurrected to fight. She wanted so badly to hate him for everything but she just couldn't. There was too much history between them. The Master decidedly didn't look away from the screen, refusing to meet her eyes in fear of what lay beneath them. Pity? Accusation? Hatred? Understanding? He didn't know what would be worst.

The rest of the room felt uneasy watching the screen, the older companions had heard about the war and knew to some degree what the Doctor had done. But to have to watch it was a whole different thing. Add in her comments about thinking she had done it and they weren't quite sure if they really knew what they were going to see. The newer companions watched conflicted with everything going on. They were learning so much more about the Doctor and they were scared to find out what she had done that scared her so much, that made her hate herself so much.

**[Arcadia]**

**(We get treated to the battle scene with fleeing civilians, buildings being destroyed, flying Daleks and soldiers firing at them. Lots of explosions and deaths.)  
DALEKS: Exterminate! Exterminate! Exterminate.**

"Oh god, Doctor." Rose gaped at her. "I know you told me about it a bit, but I never imagined -." She stopped, unable to finish her question. Everyone watched the screen in horror. Most of them had heard at least a bit about the war but they had never imagined they would see any of it. They had never really wanted too, many of them had seen war zones amongst their travels with the Doctor and she didn't really flinch at them. Therefore, they knew logically that the Time War had to have been truly horrible, indescribable.

**SOLDIER: Message for the High Council, Priority Omega. Arcadia has fallen. I repeat, Arcadia has fallen.  
(He sees the Type 40 Tardis with the stuck chameleon circuit, and its occupant comes towards him. This is the John Hurt Doctor No More version.)**

"It's hard to believe that's you, especially compared to the ones I first met." Mickey spoke up from his place beside Martha, an arm around his wife.

"Yes, it is a bit of a change. But that's the warrior. I've been trying my hardest to be the Doctor since." She shrugged, then another thought occurred to her. "Wait, you find that a harder change than this one?" She smiled slightly, Mickey just shrugged in response, his own grin breaking across his face.

**WARRIOR: Soldier, I'm going to need your gun.**

"Gun? You hate guns." Rory said. The others clearly had similar thoughts form the way they were looking at her.

"It was a war, plus it wasn't for that reason. Just watch." The Doctor frowned in memory of the war. Her eyes were glued to the screen.

**(He shoots at a concrete wall.)  
DALEKS: Exterminate! Exterminate. Exterminate!  
GALLIFREYAN: Please. Please, just don't.  
DALEK: Alert! Alert! The Doctor is detected.  
DALEKS: The Doctor is surrounded!  
DALEK: Inform High Command we have the Doctor. Seek, locate, destroy.  
(The Gallifreyan family sneak away. The Doctor has etched No More into the concrete wall.)  
DALEKS: Seek, locate, destroy. Seek  
(A Tardis smashes through, bashing the Daleks to pieces.  
DALEK: The Doctor is escaping. What are these words? Explain. Explain.**

The companions smiled a bit to see the TARDIS taking out the Daleks and the people escaping. The Master rolled his eyes, as soon as the Doctor was around the Daleks could think of no one else.

**[War room]**

**(Inside the Citadel.)  
ANDROGAR: The High Council is in emergency session. They have plans of their own.  
GENERAL: To hell with the High Council. Their plans have already failed. Gallifrey's still in the line of fire. So, he was there then?  
ANDROGAR: He left a message, a written warning for the Daleks. He's a fool.  
GENERAL: No, he's a madman.**

"A madman with his box." Amy smiled at the Doctor, remembering meeting her both the first time and when she came back late (both times). "Well, madwoman now." The Doctor grinned back at her.

**ANDROGAR: As you can see, sir, all Dalek fleets surrounding the planet now converging on the capital, but the Sky Trenches are holding.  
(Boom! The building shakes.)  
GENERAL: Where did he go next?  
ANDROGAR: What does it matter? This is their biggest ever attack, sir. They're throwing everything at us  
TIME LADY: Sir, we have a security breach to the Time Vaults.  
GENERAL: The Omega Arsenal, where all the forbidden weapons are locked away.  
ANDROGAR: They're not forbidden any more. We've used them all against the Daleks.  
GENERAL: No. No we haven't.**

**[Omega Arsenal]**

**(A plinth is empty.)  
GENERAL: The Moment is gone.  
ANDROGAR: I don't understand. What is the Moment? I've never heard of it.  
GENERAL: The galaxy eater. The final work of the ancients of Gallifrey. A weapon so powerful, the operating system became sentient. According to legend, it developed a conscience.  
ANDROGAR: And we've never used it.  
GENERAL: How do you use a weapon of ultimate mass destruction when it can stand in judgment on you? There is only one man who would even try.**

"What kind of crazy weapons did your species make?" Ryan asked incredulously.

"Lots of horrible ones. It was a terrible war."

**[Desert planet]**

**WARRIOR: Time Lords of Gallifrey, Daleks of Skaro, I serve notice on you all. Too long I have stayed my hand. No more. Today you leave me no choice. Today, this war will end. No more. No more.**

Everyone, bar the two Time Lords who exchanged a careful glance remembering the war, had their eyes stuck to the screen in a mix of horror and grief. Many of them had heard about the Time War and knew what the Doctor had done but it was different having to see it and the state the Doctor was in. The newer companions who didn't know about the war or the details of the Doctor's decision to end it were apprehensive about what they were going to see.

**(The War Doctor, Other Doctor or Warrior as I prefer shifts the sack he is carrying on his back and enters a lonely barn.)**

**[Barn]**

"Wait, that's the barn from when you were a child-." Clara spoke unthinking before freezing at looking at the Doctor like a deer in headlights.

"How do you know about that?" The Doctor asked her cautiously.

"It doesn't matter." When the Doctor went to speak again, Clara added, "I'm sure you'll find out at some point now let's keep watching."

**(He puts down the sack and reveals a brass inlaid clockwork box.)  
WARRIOR: Now, how do you work? Why is there never a big red button?**

No one wanted to make a joke, too stuck on the horror and unease of what was going on.

**(He hears scuffling noises, and opens the door.)  
WARRIOR: Hello? Is somebody there?  
MOMENT: It's nothing.  
(A blonde woman who looks exactly like Rose Tyler is sitting on the clockwork box.)**

"But that's me!" Rose spoke up, sitting up and staring intensely at the screen.

"No, it just took your shape. I'm pretty sure it'll be explained soon." The Doctor answered without moving her own eyes from the screen. This was bringing up too many bad memories.

**MOMENT: It's just a wolf.  
WARRIOR: Don't sit on that!  
MOMENT: Why not?  
WARRIOR: Because it's not a chair, it's the most dangerous weapon in the universe.  
(He hurries her from the barn and closes the door behind her. And there she is, sitting on the box.)  
MOMENT: Why can't it be both? Why did you park so far away? Didn't you want her to see it?  
WARRIOR: Want who to see?  
MOMENT: The Tardis. You walked for miles, and miles and miles and miles and miles.  
WARRIOR: I was thinking  
MOMENT: I heard you.  
WARRIOR: You heard me?  
MOMENT: No more. No more.  
WARRIOR: No more.  
MOMENT: No more. No more.  
WARRIOR: Stop it.  
MOMENT: No more.**

"You got to admit that's at least a bit funny Doc." She decidedly ignored Jack's chuckles. She knew he was just trying to break the tense atmosphere but she was stuck in bad memories.

**WARRIOR: Who are you?  
(The clockwork in the box makes a noise.)  
WARRIOR: It's activating. Get out of here.**

"Always trying to save people Doctor." Clara smiled sadly at her.

**(He tries to take hold of the box.)  
WARRIOR: Ow!  
MOMENT: What's wrong?  
WARRIOR: The interface is hot.  
MOMENT: Well, I do my best.  
WARRIOR: There's a power source inside. (penny drops) You're the interface?  
MOMENT: They must have told you the Moment had a conscience. Hello! Oh, look at you. Stuck between a girl and a box. Story of your life, eh, Doctor?  
WARRIOR: You know me?  
MOMENT: I hear you. All of you, jangling around in that dusty old head of yours. I chose this face and form especially for you. It's from your past. Or possibly your future. I always get those two mixed up.**

"She's like Sexy! She kept getting confused with tenses too. I guess it's hard when it comes to time travel." Amy pointed out.

**WARRIOR: I don't have a future.  
MOMENT: I think I'm called Rose Tyler. No. Yes. No, sorry, no, no, in this form, I'm called Bad Wolf. Are you afraid of the big bad wolf, Doctor?**

"Is that really what I looked like on the satellite?" Rose asked curious, still a bit uncomfortable seeing herself-but-not-herself on screen

"Yes, a bit, it's better you don't remember though. We'll likely see it at some point."

**WARRIOR: Stop calling me Doctor.  
MOMENT: That's the name in your head.  
WARRIOR: It shouldn't be. I've been fighting this war for a long time. I've lost the right to be the Doctor.**

"Doctor –." Jack was the one to speak up gingerly, as if he was speaking to a scared animal. She didn't like that comparison.

"Jack, it was a long time ago. I'm fine. Just keep watching." She ignored the doubtful glances everyone gave her but was thankful no one else spoke up. She exchanged a look with Clara, she was the only one who knew what happened in detail. She wasn't happy with the idea that the others would find out she hadn't destroyed Gallifrey. Well, she was. She just wasn't looking forward to having to explain that it had been destroyed again, and by the Master.

**MOMENT: Then you're the one to save us all.  
WARRIOR: Yes.  
MOMENT: If I ever develop an ego, you've got the job.  
WARRIOR: If you have been inside my head, then you know what I've seen. The suffering. Every moment in time and space is burning. It must end, and I intend to end it the only way I can.  
MOMENT: And you're going to use me to end it by killing them all, Daleks and Time Lords alike. I could, but there will be consequences for you.  
WARRIOR: I have no desire to survive this.**

"Oh sweetie." River moved from her place beside her parents and kidnapped her wife. Picking her up and pulling her into a hug. "Don't you dare say that, ever. Don't even think it!"

"I'm sorry River, I didn't want to survive if no one else was. I didn't want to live with the guilt." She signed into the hug, hiding her face and ignore the urge to just collapse and cry in her wife's embrace. She had missed being held by River. River slowly pulled back, leaning in to kiss her forehead before sitting down next to the three current companions with the Doctor in her lap, arms wrapped tight around her wife so she couldn't escape no matter how much she wriggled. She noticed for the first time that she was shorter than her.

"River!" She only received a hush from the person in question and she crossed her arms annoyed before looking determinedly back at the screen. She missed the glances that River exchanged with most of the other residents of the room.

**MOMENT: Then that's your punishment. If you do this, if you kill them all, then that's the consequence. You live. Gallifrey. You're going to burn it, and all those Daleks with it, but all those children too. How many children on Gallifrey right now?  
WARRIOR: I don't know.  
MOMENT: One day you will count them. One terrible night. Do you want to see what that will turn you into? Come on, aren't you curious?**

The Doctor turned and hid her face in River's shoulder, not wanting to remember any of the horrors of the war or what she had done/thought she had done. River brought her arms closer around her wife, whispering comforts in her ears until she looked back up to the screen.

**A whirling portal opens above them.)  
MOMENT: I'm opening windows on your future. A tangle in time through the days to come, to the man today will make of you.  
(A fez drops through the portal.)  
MOMENT: Okay, I wasn't expecting that.**

"Let me guess that was the one we knew?" Amy laughed at the pout she received from the Doctor who made quite a picture sitting on her wife's lap. Rory, River and Clara laughed with her.

**[National Gallery]**

**CLARA: But the Time War's over. Why have you brought us here to look at a painting?  
KATE: The painting only serves as Elizabeth's credentials, proof that the letter is from her. It's not why you're here.  
(The Doctor breaks the wax seal and unfolds the paper.)  
ELIZABETH [OC]: My dearest love, I hope the painting known as Gallifrey Falls will serve as proof that it is your Elizabeth who writes to you now. You will recall that you pledged yourself to the safety of my kingdom. In this capacity I have appointed you as curator of the Under Gallery, where deadly danger to England is locked away. Should any disturbance occur within its walls, it is my wish that you be summoned. God speed, gently husband.**

"Husband? Doctor, you mangy dog." Of course, it was Jack who smirked at her but the others laughed enjoying a bit of comic relief in a tense atmosphere.

"Shut up." She glanced behind to check on her wife, before continuing. "River stop grinning, I haven't been married nearly as many times as you have."

**DOCTOR: What happened?  
KATE: Easier to show you.  
(The Doctor and Clara leave with Kate. The man with Osgood answers his phone.)  
MCGILLOP: McGillop. But that's not possible. I was just. Understood, sir. But why would I take it there?  
(Meanwhile, a metal shutter comes down behind the Doctor and Clara as they stand in front of a painting on wood of Gloriana herself.)  
CLARA: Elizabeth the First. You knew her, then?  
(And next to Gloriana in the painting, in period costume, is David Tennant.)  
DOCTOR: A long time ago.**

"There's the Spaceman that we knew. You look as stupid as ever." Donna shared a laugh with Mickey, Martha, Rose and Jack, ignoring her protests about her fashion sense.

**[England, 1562]**

**(The Tardis is parked in a meadow in the bend of a river. The door is opened, and the previous Doctor gallops out on a white horse, with a red-headed lady on the pillion.)  
DOCTOR 10: Allons-y! There you go, your Majesty, what did I tell you? Bigger on the inside.  
ELIZABETH: The door isn't. You nearly took my head off. It's normally me who does that.  
(Reclining on cushions near a tent flying the royal pennant.)  
ELIZABETH: Tell me, Doctor, why I'm wasting my time on you. I have wars to plan.  
DOCTOR 10: You have a picnic to eat.  
ELIZABETH: You could help me.  
DOCTOR 10: Well, I'm helping you eat the picnic.  
ELIZABETH: But you have a stomach for war. This face has seen conflict, it's as clear as day.  
DOCTOR 10: Oh, I've seen conflict like you wouldn't believe. But it wasn't this face. But never mind that, your Majesty. Up on your feet. Up, up.  
ELIZABETH: How dare you? I'm the Queen of England.  
DOCTOR 10: I'm not English. Elizabeth, will you marry me?**

"Bit forward Doctor." Jack laughed.

"Oi! I had a reason. Keep watching." Despite her protests, the Doctor grinned at the (other) immortal time traveller.

**ELIZABETH: Oh, my dear sweet love. Of course I will.  
DOCTOR 10: Ah, gotcha!  
ELIZABETH: My love?  
DOCTOR 10: One, the real Elizabeth would never have accepted my marriage proposal. Two, the real Elizabeth would notice when I just casually mentioned having a different face. But then the real Elizabeth isn't a shape-shifting alien from outer space. And**

"A shape-shifting alien from outer space impersonating Queen Elizabeth the first. Why am I not even surprised?" Rory sighed as everyone, bar the Master, laughed. They were used to weird stuff with the Doctor.

"The Royal family has no luck, remember the werewolf and Queen Victoria?" Rose grinned at the Doctor who grinned back. The others watched confused about what they presumed was an adventure the pair had gone on.

"How can I forget? That's the reason Torchwood was founded. We were messing around while also trying to not get killed, and she couldn't forgive that."

**(He holds out a clockwork gizmo.)  
DOCTOR 10: Ding.**

"You love that device way too much." Martha laughed at her and her protests. She was starting to think the TARDIS had brought them all here for her companions to bully her. They seemed to be getting on terrifyingly well, she wasn't sure she could survive the combined power of them all.

**ELIZABETH: What's that?  
DOCTOR 10: It's a machine that goes ding. Made it myself. Lights up in the presence of shape-shifter DNA. Ooo. Also it can microwave frozen dinners from up to twenty feet and download comics from the future. I never know when to stop.**

"I needed one of those. Would have been helpful for Torchwood. Doctor?"

"Not a chance Jack. I'm never giving Torchwood anymore alien tech, they have too much as it is."

**ELIZABETH: My love, I do not understand.  
DOCTOR 10: I'm not your love, and yes you do. You're a Zygon.  
ELIZABETH: A Zygon?  
DOCTOR 10: Oh, stop it. It's over. A Zygon, yes. Big red rubbery thing covered in suckers. Surprisingly good kisser. Think the real Queen of England would just decide to share her throne with any old handsome bloke in a tight suit, just cos he's got amazing hair and a nice horse? Oh.  
(No more white horse. Instead, there's the Zygon.)  
DOCTOR 10: It was the horse. I'm going to be King. Run!**

"It always ends up with the running with you doesn't it." Rose grinned at her, her question more a statement. "Glad to see that doesn't change."

"So, it's always like that then?" Yaz asked, smiling when she received enthusiastic, and some exasperated, nods from all the previous companions.

**ELIZABETH: What's happening?  
DOCTOR 10: We're being attacked by a shape-shifting alien from outer space, formerly disguised as my horse.  
(They run into a ruined building.)  
ELIZABETH: What does that mean?  
DOCTOR 10: It means we're going to need a new horse.**

"Priorities Doctor." Clara sighed, she always missed stuff. She may have been a genius but she/he (they?) could be so stupid at times.

**ELIZABETH: Where's it going?  
DOCTOR 10: I'll hold it off. You run. Your people need you.  
ELIZABETH: And I need you alive for our wedding day.  
(Elizabeth kisses him, then runs.)  
DOCTOR 10: Oh, good work, Doctor. Nice one. The Virgin Queen? So much for history.**

"When do you ever pay attention to history?" Amy laughed with the other companions.

"I try my hardest!" She ignored the scoffs she received.

**(Elizabeth runs through the trees while the Doctor tries to lure the Zygon. She screams and the Doctor comes running. His gizmo is dinging a lot.)  
DOCTOR 10: Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Oh, very clever.  
(He talks to a lop-eared rabbit.)  
DOCTOR 10: Whatever you've got planned, forget it. I'm the Doctor. I'm nine hundred and four years old. I'm from the planet Gallifrey in the constellation of Kasterborous. I am the Oncoming Storm, the Bringer of Darkness, and you are basically just a rabbit, aren't you? Okay, carry on. Just a general warning.**

"Well done Martian!" Donna practically cackled with laughter alongside the rest of the room. Even the Master chuckled a little, although he tried to hide it. The Doctor definitely didn't pout.

"You have a lot of titles Doc." Graham pointed out once he finished chuckling with everyone else.

"Oh, she has lots more-." The Master started, a crazed smirk on his face which was cut off abruptly by a pillow hitting him in the face. His expression (a weird contortion between confusion, anger and pure bewilderment) caused all the companions to laugh which they then tried to hide when he glared at them. The Doctor didn't even bother to hide her laugh, she wouldn't miss the pillow. She had River after all.

**ELIZABETH [OC]: Doctor!  
DOCTOR 10: Elizabeth!  
(He finds her lying on the ground.)  
ELIZABETH: That thing. Explain what it is. What does it want of us?  
DOCTOR 10: That's what I'm trying to find out. Probably just your planet.**

"Oh, just the normal than." Rory nodded sarcastically drawing laughs from the other companions.

**(A second Elizabeth walks up.)  
ELIZABETH 2: Doctor. Step away from her, Doctor. That's not me. That's the creature.  
ELIZABETH: How is that possible? She's me. Doctor, she's me!  
(The Doctor tries to use his gizmo.)  
ELIZABETH 2: I am indeed me. A compliment that cannot be extended to yourself.  
ELIZABETH: Extraordinary. The creature has captured my exact likeness. This is exceptional.  
ELIZABETH 2: Exceptional? A Queen would call it impertinent.  
ELIZABETH: A Queen would feel compelled to admire the skill of the execution, before arranging one.  
DOCTOR 10: It's not working.**

The companions laughed a bit to see the Doctor frustrated with his home-made device as the Queen and Zygon argued behind him.

**ELIZABETH: One might surmise that the creature would learn quickly to protect itself from any simple means of detection.  
ELIZABETH 2: Clearly you understand the creature better than I. But then, you have the advantage.  
(A vortex appears in the air.)  
DOCTOR 10: Back, both of you, now! That's a time fissure. A tear in the fabric of reality. Anything could happen.  
(A red fez drops out of it.)  
DOCTOR: 10: For instance, a fez.**

"Look at you, confusing your past self, like the idiot you are." Amy laughed at her. "You really had a weird obsession with them back then."

"Hey Pond. Fezzes are cool!"

"No, they really aren't sweetie."

**[National Gallery]**

**(The portrait of the 10th Doctor and Elizabeth is concealing a door.)  
KATE: This way.**

**[Under Gallery]**

**KATE: Welcome to the Under Gallery. This is where Elizabeth the First kept all art deemed too dangerous for public consumption.  
(The Doctor scoops up a handful of the sand on the floor in between two rows of statues covered with dust sheets.)  
DOCTOR: Stone dust.  
KATE: Is it important?  
DOCTOR: In twelve hundred years I've never stepped in anything that wasn't.**

"1200? Last time I saw you, you said were about 900." While Martha was the one to ask the question, all her old companions looked at her.

"It had been a while for me." The Doctor grimaced, that was putting it lightly and that was before she spent 900 years defending Trenzalore.

"How old are you now then?" It was Donna that asked looking concerned

Before she even got a chance to answer, Clara did for her. "She was well over 2000 last time I saw her slash 4.5 billion because she's a loving and stubborn idiot. I'm pretty sure she doesn't even know anymore and will just lie to us. I think they've been lying about their age for a long time." Clara raised an eyebrow at her.

"4.5 Billion?" The Master asked, looking shocked with his own question.

"You didn't hear? I thought you would have known, you usually do. Plus, Rassilon probably would have bragged about it. It's a long story and I don't want to talk about it now. I'm sure it will come up at some point."

"Doctor." He glared at her. For a second, she thought she could detect a bit of concern in his eyes.

"My confession dial. That's all I'm telling you. Besides does it even matter? Both of us know that I don't have any idea how old I really am." She glared right back. He was the reason she was so doubtful about her age and her past. He nodded at her slowly, she knew he was giving up for the moment but not forever. He would find out at some point.

She turned back to Donna who had asked the question originally. "I lost track of my age a long time ago, I've lied about it a lot too. Don't always use the same definition of a year either, depends where I am I the universe sometimes. I am definitely several thousand years old though, maybe billions depending on perspectives. Honestly, I don't know. I'm just old at this point." She finished grimly.

"It really has been a long time for you then." Rose spoke up quietly. The Doctor glanced up hurriedly at her but didn't say anything. She didn't know what to say.

**(Osgood makes a noise.)  
DOCTOR: Oi, you. Are you sciency?  
OSGOOD: Oh, er, well, er, yes.  
DOCTOR: Got a name?  
OSGOOD: Yes.  
DOCTOR: Good. I've always wanted to meet someone called Yes. Now, I want this stone dust analysed. And I want a report in triplicate, with lots of graphs and diagrams and complicated sums on my desk, tomorrow morning, ASAP, pronto, L O L. See? Job. Do I have a desk?  
KATE: No.  
DOCTOR: And I want a desk.  
KATE: Get a team. Analyse the stone dust. Inhaler!  
(Further into the under gallery, the Doctor spots the red fez in a display case. He takes it out and puts it on.)  
CLARA: Someday, you could just walk past a fez.  
DOCTOR: Never gonna happen.**

"What is it with the fez?" Clara asked the Doctor mixed between exasperated and nostalgic.

"Amy and River weren't there to destroy my fez. I was enjoying it while I could."

"Do you always announce your presence with a fez in this regeneration?" Donna asked, shaking her head at the current Doctor who smiled sheepishly but shook her head. "Fezzes are cool."

**(And into another room with broken glass on the floor and alien 'paintings' along the wall.)  
SCIENTIST: As you instructed, nothing has been touched.  
KATE: This is why we called you in.  
CLARA: 3D again.  
DOCTOR: Interesting.  
CLARA: The broken glass?  
DOCTOR: No, where it's broken from. Look at the shatter pattern. The glass on all these paintings has been broken from the inside.  
KATE: As you can see, all the paintings are landscapes. No figures of any kind.  
DOCTOR: So?  
KATE: There used to be.  
(She hands him a pad with the original image on it.)  
CLARA: Something's got out the paintings.  
DOCTOR: Lots of somethings. Dangerous.  
KATE: This whole place has been searched. There's nothing here that shouldn't be, and nothing's got out.**

"Of course, there's trouble when you're around Doc. That's one thing we've learned, you act like a magnet for it." Graham spoke up, breaking the uncomfortable atmosphere that had descended. A few chuckles were scattered across the room.

**(Enter the time fissure.)**

**DOCTOR: Oh no, not now.  
CLARA: Doctor, what is it?  
DOCTOR: No, not now. I'm busy.  
KATE: Is it to do with the paintings?  
DOCTOR: No, no. This is different. I remember this. Almost remember. Oh, of course. This is where I come in.  
(He throws the fez into the fissure.)  
DOCTOR: Geronimo!  
(And leaps into it himself.)**

"Absolutely no care. Just flinging yourself into trouble like normal. Just wizard, Martian. No wonder you always find trouble!" Donna rolled her eyes at the Doctor, who at least had the decency to look a bit guilty.

**CLARA: Doctor!  
KATE: Wait!**

**[Woods, 1562]**

**(And lands heavily.)  
DOCTOR: Oof!  
(Doctor 10 puts on the fez.)  
ELIZABETH: Who is this man?  
DOCTOR 10: That's just what I was wondering.  
DOCTOR: Oh, that is skinny. That is proper skinny. I've never seen it from the outside. It's like a special effect. Oi!  
(He knocks the fez to the ground.)  
DOCTOR: Ha! Matchstick man.**

"I swear whenever you meet yourself, all you do is insult each other!" Clara threw her hands up exasperated.

The Master chuckled. "At least you weren't there when there was five of them." The Doctor glared at him for bringing that up before answering Clara. "How would you like to meet yourself from several years ago?" When no one could provide her an answer she settled smugly, turning back to the screen.

**DOCTOR 10: You're not.  
(They both get out their sonic screwdrivers. 11's is bigger and better.)  
DOCTOR 10: Compensating.  
DOCTOR: For what?  
DOCTOR 10: Regeneration. It's a lottery.  
DOCTOR: Oh, he's cool. Isn't he cool? I'm the Doctor and I'm all cool. Oops, I'm wearing sandshoes.**

"Two of you together, you don't even want to know what I'm thinking." Jack grinned manically at the Doctor, winking. She rolled her eyes at him and mouthed 'stop it'.

**DOCTOR 10: What are you doing here? I'm busy.  
DOCTOR: Oh, busy. I see. Is that what we're calling it, eh? Eh?  
(He puts on his fez and turns to the two Elizabeths.)  
DOCTOR: Hello, ladies.  
DOCTOR 10: Don't start.  
DOCTOR: Listen, what you get up to in the privacy of your own regeneration is your business.  
DOCTOR 10: One of them is a Zygon.  
DOCTOR: Urgh. I'm not judging you.**

"You realise you are talking to yourself, right?" Mickey laughed.

"Oi, I do know, Mickey the idiot!"

**(The time fissure reappears. They both put on their glasses, then notice each other.)  
BOTH: Oh, lovely.**

"How can you be so similar and yet so different at the same time?" Rose grinned with all the other companions. Each remembering the Doctor they knew and comparing them both to the ones on screen and the one watching with them.

"Wait! Are those my glasses?" Amy shouted before the video could continue raising an eyebrow at the Doctor.

"You left them behind! It's not like I could give them back." The Doctor tried futilely to defend herself, then she continued softer with a sad look and puppy eyes at the red-headed Scot. "Besides they reminded me of you." Amy smiled softly at her in understanding, she wasn't angry really.

**DOCTOR: Your Majesties. Probably a good time to run.  
ELIZABETHS: But what about the creature?  
DOCTOR 10: Elizabeth, whichever one of you is the real one, turn and run in the opposite direction to the other one.  
ELIZABETHS: Of course, my love.  
ELIZABETH: Stay alive, my love. I am not done with you yet.  
(She kisses Doctor 10 and leaves.)  
DOCTOR 10: Thanks. Lovely.  
ELIZABETH 2: I understand. Live for me, my darling. We shall be together again.  
(Another kiss and run.)  
DOCTOR 10: Well, won't that be nice?  
DOCTOR: One of those was a Zygon.  
DOCTOR 10: Yeah.  
DOCTOR: Big red rubbery thing covered in suckers.  
DOCTOR 10: Yeah.  
DOCTOR: Venom sacs in the tongue.  
DOCTOR 10: Yeah, I'm getting the point, thank you.  
DOCTOR: Nice.**

"And you complain at me for flirting!"

"You flirt with everything Jack!"

**CLARA [OC]: Doctor, is that you?  
DOCTOR: Ah, hello, Clara. Can you hear me?**

**[Under Gallery / Woods]**

**CLARA: Yeah, it's me. We can hear you. Where are you?  
DOCTOR: Where are we?  
DOCTOR 10: England, 1562.  
CLARA: Who are you talking to?  
DOCTORS: Myself.**

"Oh yeah that isn't confusing to anyone who doesn't know about regeneration." Rose grinned happy to see her (second) Doctor on screen.

**KATE: Can you come back through?  
DOCTOR: Physical passage may not be possible in both directions. Its. Ah! Hang on. Fez incoming!  
CLARA: Nothing here.  
DOCTOR 10: So where did it go?**

**[Barn]**

**CLARA [OC]: Who's he talking to?  
KATE [OC]: He said himself.**

**[Under Gallery]**

**KATE: Keep him talking.  
(She uses her mobile as she leaves.)  
KATE: Malcolm? Malcolm, I need you to send me one of my father's incident files. Codenamed Cromer. 70s or 80s depending on the dating protocol.  
(Something growls as it watches her go.)**

"First of all; she's in trouble. Second of all, why is there an incident file for that kind of thing?" Rory spoke up hesitantly, unsure if he really wants the answer.

"Like the Master said, there has been a few incidents, one was an accident with five of me and the Brigadier was around at the time." The Doctor smiled sadly a bit lost in memories.

**[Woods, 1562]**

**DOCTOR 10: Okay, you used to be me, you've done all this before. What happens next?  
DOCTOR: I don't remember.**

"How can you forget something like that?" Mickey asked incredulously.

"Timelines. You aren't supposed to meet yourself so when you do the memories become very hazy, if you remember anything at all. At least until your oldest-self lives through it." The Doctor explained.

**DOCTOR 10: How can you forget this?  
DOCTOR: Hey, hang on. It's not my fault. You're obviously not paying enough attention. Reverse the polarity!  
(They both aim their sonic screwdrivers at the fissure.)  
DOCTOR: It's not working.  
DOCTOR 10: We're both reversing the polarity.  
DOCTOR: Yes, I know that.  
DOCTOR 10: There's two of us. I'm reversing it, you're reversing it back again. We're confusing the polarity.**

"You're a right idiot you know that Spaceman."

"Well, I'm sorry. I wasn't exactly prepared for a time-space fissure on either day. Plus, crossing timelines always makes your memories fuzzy for the protection of the timelines as I just mentioned." The Doctor hmphed.

**(The Warrior drops through the time fissure.)  
WARRIOR: Anyone lose a fez?  
DOCTOR 10: You. How can you be here? More to the point, why are you here?  
WARRIOR: Good afternoon. I'm looking for the Doctor.  
DOCTOR 10: Well, you've certainly come to the right place.  
WARRIOR: Good. Right. Well, who are you boys? Oh, of course. Are you his companions?  
DOCTOR: His companions?  
WARRIOR: They get younger all the time. Well, if you could point me in the general direction of the Doctor?**

"Well, he's in for a surprise. I can't believe past-you thought two of your future faces were companions. Wait, yes I can." Rose laughed at him.

"To be fair, my previous incarnations were mostly old men. I'm surprised it took me so long to be a woman actually." The Doctor looked down at herself, her face scrunched up in confusion.

**(They both demonstrate their sonic screwdrivers.)  
WARRIOR: Really?  
DOCTOR: Yeah.  
DOCTOR 10: Really.  
WARRIOR: You're me? Both of you?  
DOCTOR 10: Yep.  
WARRIOR: Even that one?  
DOCTOR: Yes!  
WARRIOR: You're my future selves?  
BOTH: Yes!  
WARRIOR: Am I having a midlife crisis? Why are you pointing your screwdrivers like that? They're scientific instruments, not water pistols. Look like you've seen a ghost.**

"Well in a way you have, I guess. If that's one of your old faces and you die before you change." Bill tilted her head in question which the Doctor just answered with a smile.

**DOCTOR 10: Still, loving the posh gravelly thing. It's very convincing.  
DOCTOR: Brave words, Dick van Dyke.  
(A troop of soldiers run up, lead by a nobleman.)  
BENTHAM: Encircle them. Which of you is the Doctor? The Queen of England is bewitched. I would have the Doctor's head.  
WARRIOR: Well, this has all the makings of your lucky day.**

"Trouble as normal. Wish I was there, it would definitely be my lucky day."

"Oi, stop it you!"

**[Under Gallery]**

**(Kate returns.)  
CLARA: I think there's three of them now.**

**[Woods, 1562]**

**KATE [OC]: There's a precedent for that.  
BENTHAM: What is that?  
WARRIOR: Oh, the pointing again. They're screwdrivers! What are you going to do, assemble a cabinet at them?**

"He's right sweetie. How on Earth did you come up with the idea?" River smirked at her sheepish wife who refused to meet her eyes, blushing slightly when she remembered she was still sitting on River's lap.

**BENTHAM: That thing, what witchcraft is it?  
DOCTOR: Ah, yes. Now that you mention it, that is witchcraft. Yes, yes, yes. Witchy witchcraft. Hello? Hello in there. Excuse me. Hello!**

**[Under Gallery]**

**DOCTOR [OC]: Am I talking to the wicked witch of the well?  
KATE: He means you.  
CLARA: Why am I the witch?  
DOCTOR [OC]: Clara?  
CLARA: Hello?**

**[Woods, 1562 / Under Gallery]**

**DOCTOR: Clara, hi, hello. Hello. Would you mind telling these prattling mortals to get themselves begone?  
CLARA: What he said.  
DOCTOR: Yes, tiny bit more colour.  
CLARA: Right. Prattling mortals, off you pop, or I'll turn you all into frogs.  
DOCTOR: Ooo, frogs. Nice. You heard her.**

The Doctor groaned while her current companions snickered, it hadn't been funny at the time but looking back at the situation it was just a bit.

"Why are you lot giggling like school children?" Donna asked curious.

"The Doctor took us to Jacobean England to solve a mystery and had some trouble with the fact she is female now so you can imagine how they would react to her." Yaz grinned.

"Did you get tried as a witch?!" Jack practically cackled while the other companions joined her fam in snickering. She was quite an interesting person, she got away with it mostly as a man but it would be very different as a woman, especially in certain time periods.

"Oi! I got dunked in a lake! It was freezing." The Doctor pouted but it only drew more laughter from her companions.

**CLARA: Doctor, what's going on?**

**[Woods, 1562]**

**DOCTOR: It's a timey-wimey thing.  
WARRIOR: Timey what? Timey-wimey?  
DOCTOR 10: I've no idea where he picks that stuff up.**

"Are you seriously trying to get yourself out of trouble with yourself by blaming yourself?" Martha asked exasperated and disbelieving, yet resigned to the insanity that was the Doctor.

"Maybe?"

**(Enter an Elizabeth. The soldiers fall to their knee.)  
SOLDIERS: The Queen. The Queen.  
ELIZABETH: You don't seem to be kneeling. How tremendously brave of you.  
DOCTOR 10: Which one are you? What happened to the other one?  
ELIZABETH: Indisposed. Long live the Queen.  
SOLDIERS: Long live the Queen.  
ELIZABETH: Arrest these men. Take them to the Tower.  
DOCTOR 10: That is not the Queen of England, that's an alien duplicate.  
DOCTOR: And you can take it from him, cos he's really checked.  
DOCTOR 10: Oh, shut up.  
DOCTOR: Venom sacs in the tongue.  
DOCTOR 10: Seriously, stop it.  
DOCTOR: No, hang on. The Tower.**

**[Under Gallery]**

**DOCTOR [OC]: Did you say the Tower? Ah, yes, brilliant. Love the Tower.**

"Seeing as that sounds bad, I am going to guess you have a plan as you don't look very worried about being locked in the tower." Bill pointed out and received a proud smile and nod from the Doctor.

**[Woods, 1562]**

**DOCTOR: Breakfast at eight, please. Will there be Wi-Fi?  
WARRIOR: Are you capable of speaking without flapping your hands about?  
DOCTOR: Yes. No. I demand to be incarcerated in the Tower immediately with my co-conspirators Sandshoes and Granddad.  
WARRIOR: Granddad?  
DOCTOR 10: They're not sandshoes.**

There was a general mutter of "yes they are" from around the room.

**WARRIOR: Yes, they are.**

"Like I said, you spend all your time insulting yourself. Should we be worried?" Clara laughed but the question had a bit of an edge to it, but no one wanted to darken the current light atmosphere.

**ELIZABETH: Silence. The Tower is not to be taken lightly.**

**[Under Gallery]**

**ELIZABETH [OC]: Very few emerge again.  
KATE: Dear God, that man's clever. Come on.  
CLARA: Where are we going?  
KATE: My office, otherwise known as the Tower of London.**

"Oh, so you do have a plan for once." Amy raised an eyebrow at her. "That's rare."

"I'm guessing she made it all up as she went with you lot too then?" Ryan asked the other companions who all nodded back in varying forms of amusement and exasperation.

**[Tower dungeons]**

**WARDER: Come on, you lot, get in there.  
WARRIOR: Ow.  
(The warder leaves, shutting the door behind him. The Doctor finds a piece of metal bar and starts scratching on a stone pillar.)  
DOCTOR: Three of us in one cell? That's going to cause some nasty anomalies if we don't get out soon.  
DOCTOR 10: What are you doing?  
DOCTOR: Getting us out.**

"How is writing a message to the future going to help. They can't fly the TARDIS." Mickey asked.

"No, they can't fly the TARDIS, just watch Mickey. It will make sense eventually."

**(The Warrior is using his sonic screwdriver on the wooden door.)  
DOCTOR 10: The sonic won't work on that, it's too primitive.  
DOCTOR: Shall we ask for a better quality of door so we can escape?**

"Next time you get one you need to make sure it has a wood setting. The amount of times that has caused trouble. Seriously Martian!" Donna exclaimed. **  
**

**DOCTOR 10: Okay, so the Queen of England is now a Zygon. But never mind that. Why are we all together? Why are we all here? Well, me and Chinny, we were surprised, but you came looking for us. You knew it was going to happen. Who told you?  
(Moment Rose is holding a finger to her lips.)**

"So, you couldn't see her then? Only the one from the war?" Bill asked. The Doctor nodded.

**DOCTOR: Oi, Chinny?  
DOCTOR 10: Yeah, you do have a chin.**

**[Under Gallery]**

**(The stone dust is being analysed.)  
OSGOOD: Marble, granite. A lot of different stone, but none of it from the fabric of the building. It's like somebody smashed up a lot of old statues. Are there any missing?**

Most of the companions were starting to guess what happened and were hoping the pair of scientists got out.

**MCGILLOP: Don't think so. Why would anyone do that, anyway? I mean, I know we're meant to keep an open mind, but are we supposed to believe in creatures that can hide in oil paintings and have some sort of a grudge against statues? You all right?  
(Osgood uses her inhaler.)  
OSGOOD: We have to go, right now, this minute.  
MCGILLOP: What's wrong?  
OSGOOD: The things from the paintings. I know why they smashed the statues.  
MCGILLOP: Why?  
OSGOOD: Because they needed somewhere to hide.  
(The nearby statues raise their dust sheets. Zygons! They attack McGillop first, and Osgood runs.)**

"That's not good."

**[National Gallery]**

**(Osgood gets into the National Gallery and shuts the door, but a Zygon smashes through the painting of Elizabeth and the tenth Doctor. She gets into the open lift but it will not move, so she slumps in the far corner.)  
OSGOOD: The Doctor will save me. The Doctor will save me. The Doctor will save me. The Doctor will save me. The Doctor will save me.  
(The Zygon transforms.)  
OSGOOD-Z: Excuse me. I'm going to need my inhaler. I so hate it when I get one with a defect. Ooo, you've got some perfectly horrible memories in here, haven't you? So jealous of your pretty sister. I don't blame you. I wish I'd copied her.  
OSGOOD: So do I!  
(The Zygon is standing on the end of Osgood's scarf, so she gives it a sharp tug and down goes her duplicate, allowing her to escape.)  
OSGOOD-Z: Oh, for goodness sake.**

"Good for her!" Martha cheered along with the other. Glad to see someone get away.

**[Tower environs]**

**KATE: The Doctor will be trying to send us a message. We're looking for a string of numerals from around 1550, approximately. Priority One. I'm going to need access to the Black Archive.**

**[Black Archive corridor]**

**KATE: The Black Archive. Highest security rating on the planet. The entire staff have their memories wiped at the end of every shift. Automated memory filters in the ceiling. Access, please.  
ATKINS: Ma'am.  
(Kate hands him her key.)  
KATE: Atkins, isn't it?  
ATKINS: Yes, ma'am. First day here.  
KATE: (sotto) Been here ten years.**

**[Black Archive]**

**CLARA: Lock and key? Bit basic, isn't it?  
KATE: Can't afford electronic security down here. Got to keep the Doctor out. The whole of the Tower is Tardis-proofed. He really wouldn't approve of the collection.**

"No, I really don't. I also do not appreciate that Kate."

"You realise you are talking to a screen. Also, is there really anyway to keep you out of anywhere?" Clara raised her eyebrows channelling her days as a teacher. The others smiled knowing that was true, you couldn't keep the Doctor out of anywhere she really wanted to be.

**CLARA: But you let me in.  
KATE: You have a top level security rating from your last visit.  
CLARA: Sorry, my what?  
KATE: Apologies. We have to screen all his known associates. We can't have information about the Doctor and the Tardis falling into the wrong hands. The consequences could be disastrous.**

"Wait they keep information on everyone associated with you. Who wants to join me in breaking in and finding blackmail on the Doctor?" Amy grinned a bit manically.

"Oh, count me in. Definitely need more blackmail." Clara grinned at the red-haired Scot.

"Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure you are going to get lots of blackmail from these videos. No need to break in to UNIT." The Doctor sighed.

**CLARA: What is that?  
KATE: Time travel. A vortex manipulator bequeathed to the UNIT archive by Captain Jack Harkness on the occasion of his death. Well, one of them. No one can know we have this, not even our allies.**

"Wait, one of his deaths?" Bill asked looking at said Captain who smirked flirtatiously.

"Complicated. I can't die. Well, I can but I get up again. I'm sure it will come up at some point." Those that didn't know him just stared incredulously at him before deciding they had heard weirder and focussed back on the screen. They would likely get answers eventually.

**CLARA: Why not?  
KATE: Think about it. Americans with the ability to rewrite history? You've seen their movies.  
CLARA: Okay, so this is how we're going to rescue the Doctor.  
KATE: I'm not sure there's enough power for a two-way trip. In any event, we don't have the activation code. The Doctor knows we have this, so he's always kept the code from us. Let's hope he changes his mind.  
(Her phone rings.)  
KATE: Yes? Well, if you've found it, photograph it and send it to my phone.**

"Oh, that's what the numbers are for." Mickey said as comprehension dawned.

**(Clara spots Osgood and McGillop.)  
CLARA: Er, Kate? Should they be here? Why have they followed us?  
KATE: Oh, they've probably just finished disposing of the humans a bit early.  
CLARA: The humans?**

"That's really not good." All the companions, bar Clara who knew what happened, watched the screen anxious to know what would happen.

**KATE: Dear me. I really do get into character, don't I?  
(Kate spits some venom at Clara, then transforms into a Zygon.)  
OSGOOD-Z: The Under Gallery is secured.  
(The numbers on the photograph on Kate's phone include 231163. Clara grabs the vortex manipulator, puts it on and copies them into it.)  
ZYGON: Prepare to dispose of one more human. We have acquired the device.  
CLARA: Activation code, right?  
(She disappears.)**

"Quick thinking, I can see why she likes you." River winked at Clara, who bushed a little turning away to hide it. The Doctor grinned proudly at Clara who grinned back, still happy the Doctor remembered her again.

**[Tower dungeon]**

**(The Doctor is still scratching his message.)  
WARRIOR: In theory, I can trigger an isolated sonic shift among the molecules, and the door should disintegrate.  
DOCTOR 10: We'd have to calculate the exact harmonic resonance of the entire structure down to a sub-atomic level. Even the sonic would take years.  
WARRIOR: No, no, the sonic would take centuries. Oh, we might as well get started. Help to pass the timey-wimey. Do you have to talk like children? What is it that makes you so ashamed of being a grown up? Oh, the way you both look at me. What is that? I'm trying to think of a better word than dread.  
DOCTOR 10: It must be really recent for you.  
WARRIOR: Recent?  
DOCTOR: The Time War. The last day. The day you killed them all.  
DOCTOR 10: The day we killed them all.  
DOCTOR: Same thing.  
MOMENT: It's history for them. All decided. They think their future is real. They don't know it's still up to you.  
WARRIOR: I don't talk about it.  
DOCTOR 10: You're not talking about it. There's no one else here.  
MOMENT: Go on, ask them. Ask them what you need to know.  
WARRIOR: Did you ever count?**

The Doctor glanced at the Master. " _Contact."_ The Master gave her a questioning look but answered in like. " _Did you count?"_

" _No. Unlike you I don't regret it. They got what they deserved, they lied to us about everything. Those children would have grown up to continue that legacy, Gallifrey was a horrible place to be a child. You can't even disagree with that."_ The Master refused to say anything else despite her attempts to goad him, eventually breaking off the connection.

**DOCTOR: Count what?  
WARRIOR: How many children there were on Gallifrey that day.  
(The Doctor stops his scratching.)  
DOCTOR: I have absolutely no idea.**

The Doctor hid her face again not wanting to remember how hard she had tried to forget. She choked back on a sob. River started humming and rubbing her back to comfort her. The others looked worryingly at her but River gave them a sad smile and nodded to the screen.

**WARRIOR: How old are you now?  
DOCTOR: Ah, I don't know. I lose track. Twelve hundred and something, I think, unless I'm lying. I can't remember if I'm lying about my age, that's how old I am.  
WARRIOR: Four hundred years older than me, and in all that time you've never even wondered how many there were? You never once counted?  
DOCTOR: Tell me, what would be the point?  
DOCTOR 10: Two point four seven billion.  
WARRIOR: You did count!**

"God. Doctor, how do you live with that?" Yaz choked out, staring at the Doctor in horror. The Doctor shifted her head away from River's shoulder and moved herself off her lap. Settling down on a beanbag next to Bill, her back to River's legs. She didn't deserve the comfort of her wife or anyone else. Yet, she couldn't find the energy or will to truly distance herself.

"You help others make the right choice; you save others. It never makes up for it but it means others don't have to suffer like you did. It's okay, keep watching Yaz, I've had a long time to deal with all this." She answered, voice blank of emotion and refusing to look at anyone.

**DOCTOR 10: You forgot? Four hundred years, is that all it takes?  
DOCTOR: I moved on.  
DOCTOR 10: Where? Where can you be now that you can forget something like that?  
DOCTOR: Spoilers.  
DOCTOR 10: No. No, no, no. For once I would like to know where I'm going.  
DOCTOR: No, you really wouldn't.**

River and Clara shivered at the reminder of Trenzalore. The other companions were worried about what could be so bad to scare the Doctor like that. The Master raised an eye at the Doctor who shook her head subtlety at him.

**WARRIOR: I don't know who you are, either of you. I haven't got the faintest idea.  
MOMENT: They're you. They're what you become if you destroy Gallifrey. The man who regrets and the man who forgets. The moment is coming. The Moment is me. You have to decide.  
WARRIOR: No.  
DOCTOR 10: No?  
WARRIOR: Just, no.  
(The Doctor laughs.)  
DOCTOR 10: Is something funny? Did I miss a funny thing?  
DOCTOR: Sorry. It just occured to me. This is what I'm like when I'm alone.  
MOMENT: It's the same screwdriver. Same software, different case.  
WARRIOR: Four hundred years.  
DOCTOR 10: I'm sorry?  
WARRIOR: At a software level, they're all the same device, aren't they. Same software, different case.  
DOCTOR 10: Yeah.  
DOCTOR: So.  
WARRIOR: So, it would take centuries for the screwdriver to calculate how to disintegrate the door. Scanning the door, implanting the calculation as a permanent subroutine in the software architecture and, if you really are me, with your sandshoes and your dickie bow, and that screwdriver is still mine, that calculation is still going on.  
DOCTOR 10: Yeah, still going.  
DOCTOR: Calculation complete.  
MOMENT: Same software, different face.  
DOCTOR: Hey, four hundred years in four seconds. We may have had our differences, which is frankly odd in the circumstances, but, I tell you what, boys. We are incredibly clever.  
(Clara opens the door and nearly falls in.)  
DOCTOR: How did you do that?  
CLARA: It wasn't locked.**

Everyone laughed at the Doctor who just pouted. Any explanations she would have tried would be ignored so she didn't even bother trying, just happy to see all her companions safe and enjoying themselves. Even at the cost of some embarrassment.

**DOCTOR: Right.  
CLARA: So they're both you, then, yeah?  
DOCTOR: Yes. You've met them before. Don't you remember?  
CLARA: A bit. Nice suit.  
DOCTOR 10: Thanks.**

"Wait, you've met Pinstripes?" Bill asked curiously.

"I've kind of met them all, bar this Doctor until now. It's a long story." Clara shrugged.

**CLARA: Hang on. Three of you in one cell, and none of you thought to try the door?  
WARRIOR: It should have been locked.**

"You're a right idiot aren't you Spaceman. How can you be so smart and yet so stupid at the same time?" Donna started laughing again alongside everyone else while the Doctor continued to pout, blushing a bit in embarrassment. Even the Master chuckled a bit.

**DOCTOR: Yes. Exactly. Why wasn't it locked?  
ELIZABETH: Because I was fascinated to see what you would do upon escaping. I understand you're rather fond of this world. It's time I think you saw what's going to happen to it.**

**[Under Gallery]**

**(The real Osgood hears moaning from beneath a dust sheet, and notices a shoe sticking out from underneath. She pulls it off to reveal another sheet of red suckers covering a human.)  
OSGOOD: Kate? Oh goodness, you're not actually dead. Oh, that's tremendous news. Those creatures, they turn themselves into copies. And they need to keep the original alive, refresh the image so to speak.**

"At least she's alive. That's good news at least."

**KATE: Where, where did they go?  
OSGOOD: I don't know. Oh, hang on, yes, I do. The Tower.  
KATE: If those creatures have got access to the Black Archive, we may just have lost control of the planet.**

**[Zygon control centre]**

**(Another part of the Tower dungeons.)  
ELIZABETH: The Zygons lost their own world. It burnt in the first days of the Time War. A new home is required.  
CLARA: So they want this one.  
ELIZABETH: Not yet. It's far too primitive. Zygons are used to a certain level of comfort.  
ZYGON: Commander, why are these creatures here?  
ELIZABETH: Because I say they should be. It is time you too were translated. Observe this. I believe you will find it fascinating.  
(The Zygon puts his hand on a glass cube with dents in the corners, then vanishes. The 3D landscape painting from the Under Gallery is nearby.)  
CLARA: That's him! That's the Zygon in the picture now.  
WARRIOR: It's not a picture, it's a stasis cube. Time Lord art. Frozen instants in time, bigger on the inside, but could be deployed as  
DOCTOR 10: Suspended animation. Oh, that's very good. The Zygons all pop inside the pictures, wait a few centuries till the planet's a bit more interesting, and then out they come.  
DOCTOR: You see, Clara, they're stored in the paintings in the Under Gallery, like cup-a-soups. Except you add time, if you can picture that. Nobody could picture that. Forget I said cup-a-soups.**

"I hate it when you do that. Explain something and then say it's nothing like that. Did they do that to you all as well?" Clara turned to the others and received enthusiastic nods, especially ones from those that had travelled with Chinny.

**CLARA: And now the world is worth conquering. So the Zygons are invading the future from the past.  
DOCTOR: Exactly.  
DOCTOR 10: And do you know why I know that you're a fake? Because you're such a bad copy. It's not just the smell, or the unconvincing hair, or the atrocious teeth, or the eyes just a bit too close together, or the breath that could stun a horse. It's because my Elizabeth, the real Elizabeth, would never be stupid enough to reveal her own plan. Honestly, why would you do that?  
ELIZABETH: Because it's not my plan. And I am the real Elizabeth.  
DOCTOR 10: Okay. So, backtracking a moment just to lend context to my earlier remarks.**

"It's a wonder she likes you sir, with how you keep insulting her." Nardole muttered which she decided to ignore.

**ELIZABETH: My twin is dead in the forest. I am accustomed to taking precautions.  
(She produces a dagger from the garter beneath her skirts.)  
ELIZABETH: These Zygon creatures never even considered that it was me who survived rather than their own commander. The arrogance that typifies their kind.  
CLARA: Zygons?  
ELIZABETH: Men.**

"You can say that again!" Amy laughed, the rest of the women joining in. The men shifted a bit uncomfortable.

**CLARA: And you actually killed one of them?  
ELIZABETH: I may have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but at the time, so did the Zygon. The future of my kingdom is imperilled. Doctor, can I rely on your service?  
DOCTOR 10: Well, I'm going to need my Tardis.  
ELIZABETH: It has been procured already.  
DOCTOR 10: Ah.  
ELIZABETH: But first, my love, you have a promise to keep.**

**[Castle courtyard]**

**CLERGYMAN: I now pronounce you man and wife.  
CLARA: Woo hoo!  
CLERGYMAN: You may kiss the bride.  
(Elizabeth does the enthusiastic kissing.)  
WARRIOR: Is there a lot of this in the future?  
DOCTOR: It does start to happen, yeah.**

"And you get on at me for marrying other people, sweetie!"

"First of all; this was before I really started to know you properly. Second of all, you have married far more people than I have. Third, do I need to mention Hydroflax?!"

"I told you dear, I married the diamond!"

"Wait, you two are married?" Rose asked, her face blank. The Doctor squirmed in her place on the beanbag.

"Like most things it is a very long and complicated story but yes. It's very open at times. We usually both end up marrying several other people." River was the one that answered smiling softly in understanding at Rose.

"That's where I know you from! Eyebrows had a picture of you on his desk alongside an old black-and-white photo of a young girl." Bill exclaimed, her eyes and mouth wide in a classic 'Oh!' expression. River smiled at her wife; her eyes incredibly soft as she thought about how her husband kept a photo on his desk of her.

"Yes, the girl was my granddaughter Susan. I haven't seen her in millennia." The Doctor looked down at the carpet. And she wouldn't get to again. Unlike her, Susan had voluntarily gone back to Gallifrey during the Time War, she hadn't had the strength to check if she had survived for years. But, if she had somehow survived the war, she was almost definitely dead now. She resisted the urge to look at the Master.

**ELIZABETH: God speed, my love.  
DOCTOR 10: I will be right back.**

"Wait a minute Raggedy Man. If you married Queen Elizabeth does that make me your mother-in-law twice seeing as I married King Henry VIII?" Amy was grinning like the Cheshire Cat. Rory was at her side groaning, remembering that particular accident. The Doctor's look was all the answer Amy needed as she started cackling.

**(He runs into the Tardis and starts cranking her up.)  
DOCTOR: Right then, back to the future.**

"And that Martha is why she tried to kill us when we met Shakespeare. I don't think I ever ended up returning."

**[Tardis]**

**WARRIOR: You've let this place go a bit.  
DOCTOR: Ah, it's his grunge phase. He grows out of it.  
DOCTOR 10: Don't you listen to them.  
(An alarm sounds. The tenth Doctor gets an electric shock.)  
DOCTOR 10: Ow! The desktop is glitching.  
WARRIOR: Three of us from different time zones. It's trying to compensate.  
DOCTOR: Hey, look. The round things.  
DOCTOR 10: I love the round things.  
DOCTOR: What are the round things?  
DOCTOR 10: No idea.**

"So that's what it looked like before Chinny blew it up!" Amy exclaimed.

"Blew up?!" Donna shouted, voicing the thoughts of everyone else.

"I put off regenerating a bit too long, it made it a bit explosive. I really need to stop doing that." She muttered the last comment to herself before nodding to her fam. "That's how I ended up on the train, I blew it up again and she chucked me out when we were in the atmosphere."

Everyone started at her like she was mad, smiling about getting thrown out of the Tardis, blowing it up and putting off her regenerations. The Master and River looked at her with nearly identical knowing and disapproving stares. She shivered a bit, that was another horrifying combination. The pair of them would easily destroy several galaxies together and more importantly had far too much embarrassing blackmail on her.

**DOCTOR: Oh dear, the friction contrafibulator. Ha! There, stabilised.  
(The desktop changes again.)  
DOCTOR 10: (channelling Doctor 2) Oh, you've redecorated. I don't like it.**

"They always say that." The Doctor mumbled.

**DOCTOR: Oh. Oh yeah? Oh, you never do. Listen, we're going to the National Gallery. The Zygons are underneath it.  
CLARA: No, UNIT HQ. They followed us there in the Black Archive.  
(She gets three stares.)  
CLARA: Okay, so you've heard of that, then.**

**[Black Archive]**

**MCGILLOP-Z: The equipment here is phenomenal. The humans don't realise what half this stuff does. We could conquer their world in a day.  
ZYGON: We were fortunate, then, in our choice of duplicate.  
MCGILLOP-Z: If I were human, I'd say it was Christmas.  
(Humans Kate and Osgood enter.)  
KATE: No, I'm afraid you wouldn't. We're not armed. You may relax.  
ZYGON: We are armed. You may not.  
KATE: Lock the door. I'm afraid we can't be interrupted. You don't mind if I get comfortable?  
ZYGON: You don't mind if I do?  
(The Zygon transforms into Kate, and sits down opposite her at the table.)**

"I think that is going to become very confusing very quickly." Bill's comment drew nods and sounds of agreement from the rest of the room.

**KATE: You'll realise there are protocols protecting this place. Osgood?  
OSGOOD: In the event of any alien incursion, the contents of this room are deemed so dangerous, it will self-destruct in  
KATE: Five minutes.  
(The alarm sounds and the countdown starts.)  
KATE: There's a nuclear warhead twenty feet beneath us. Are you sitting comfortably?  
KATE-Z: You would destroy London?  
KATE: To save the world, yes, I would.  
KATE-Z: You're bluffing.  
KATE: You really think so? Somewhere in your memory is a man called Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge Stewart. I am his daughter.**

"They were so close to blowing London up and we would never have known. How on Earth do you get out of this one?" Martha questioned.

**DOCTOR [OC]: Science leads, Kate. Is that what you meant? Is that what your father meant?  
KATE: Doctor?  
DOCTOR [OC]: Space-Time Telegraph, Kate. A gift from me to your father, hotline straight to the Tardis.**

"You knew her father well then. Did he travel with you Doc?" Graham asked.

"The Brigadier? No, he didn't really travel with me. Not in the way you all did. I worked with him when I worked for UNIT. I spent most of my time trying to convince him to not shoot everything alien on sight. He was a dear friend though, met me in several of my faces. I even got to meet Kate when she was very young." The Doctor smiled, lost in happier memories.

**[Tardis]**

**DOCTOR: I know about the Black Archive and I know about the security protocol. Kate, please. Please tell me you are not about to do something unbelievably stupid.  
KATE [OC]: I'm sorry, Doctor. Switch it off.  
DOCTOR 10: Not as sorry as you will be. This is not a decision you will ever be able to live with.  
DOCTOR: Kate, we're trying to bring the Tardis in. Why can't we land?  
KATE [OC]: I said, switch it off.  
DOCTOR: No, Kate, please. Just listen to me!  
DOCTOR 10: The Tower of London, totally Tardis-proof.  
CLARA: How can they do that?  
DOCTOR: Alien technology plus human stupidity. Trust me, it's unbeatable.**

"That's why I hate Torchwood. UNIT is at least tolerable most of the time, especially with a Lethbridge-Stewart around. No offense Jack." The Doctor realised what she said and turned to the immortal. His normal grin softened in understanding and he nodded at her with a wink.

**(A stasis cube is on the console.)  
WARRIOR: We don't need to land.  
DOCTOR 10: Yeah, we do. A tiny bit. Try and keep up.  
WARRIOR: No, we don't. We don't. There is another way. Cup-a-soup. What is cup-a-soup?**

"Oh, that's a good plan sweetie. Very smart." River grinned at her wife who practically preened from the compliment.

**[National Gallery]**

**(Back we go to an earlier scene.)  
DOCTOR: What happened?  
KATE: Easier to show you.  
(The Doctor, Kate and Clara leave. McGillop answers his phone.)  
MCGILLOP: McGillop.**

**[Tardis / National Gallery]**

**DOCTOR: Take a look at your phone and confirm who you're talking to.  
MCGILLOP: But that's not possible. I was just  
DOCTOR: You were just talking to me. I know. I'm a time traveller, figure it out. I need you to send the Gallifrey Falls painting to the Black Archive. Understood?  
MCGILLOP: Understood, sir. But why would I take it there?**

"Well, that explains that weird phone call."

**[Black Archive]**

**(2:59 and counting.)  
KATE-Z: One word from you would cancel the countdown.  
KATE: Quite so.  
KATE-Z: It's keyed to your voiceprint.  
KATE: And mine alone.  
KATE-Z: Cancel the detonation!  
KATE: Countermanded.  
KATE-Z: Cancel the detonation.  
KATE: Countermanded.  
KATE-Z: We only have to agree to live.  
KATE: Sadly, we can only agree to die.  
OSGOOD: Please, Doctor. Please save us. Please save us. Please save us.**

They all stared at the screen wondering how they got out of this seemingly hopeless situation.

**[Gallifrey Falls]**

**(Time begins to move inside the 3D painting, which contains three extra figures by the image of an exploding Dalek.)  
DALEK: Exterminate!  
(Three sonic screwdrivers send the unhappy pepperpot crashing out of the painting and into -)**

**[Black Archive]**

**(Followed by three of the same Time Lord. The Dalek expires.)  
WARRIOR: Hello.  
DOCTOR 10: I'm the Doctor.  
DOCTOR: Sorry about the Dalek.  
CLARA: Also the showing off.**

"You do tend to do a bit of that, Sir." Nardole spoke up from his place on a beanbag.

"Oh, shut up egg-man. No one wants to hear your nattering." The Master drawled from his chair drawing the rooms attention.

"Be nice." She glared at him before turning to Nardole. "Nardole, it just tends to happen."

**DOCTOR: Kate Lethbridge Stewart, what in the name of sanity are you doing?  
KATE: The countdown can only be halted at my personal command. There's nothing you can do.  
DOCTOR 10: Except make you both agree to halt it.  
KATE: Not even three of you.  
WARRIOR: You're about to murder millions of people.  
KATE: To save billions. How many times have you made that calculation?**

The Doctor glared at the floor. You could have heard a pin drop in the room.

**(1:36)  
DOCTOR: Once. Turned me into the man I am now. I'm not even sure who that is any more.  
DOCTOR 10: You tell yourself it's justified, but it's a lie. Because what I did that day was wrong. Just wrong.  
(The Warrior turns to look at the Moment.)  
DOCTOR: And, because I got it wrong, I'm going to make you get it right.  
KATE: How?  
DOCTOR 10: Any second now, you're going to stop that countdown. Both of you, together.  
DOCTOR: Then you're going to negotiate the most perfect treaty of all time.  
DOCTOR 10: Safeguards all round, completely fair on both sides.  
DOCTOR: And the key to perfect negotiation?  
DOCTOR 10: Not knowing what side you're on.  
DOCTOR: So, for the next few hours, until we decide to let you out  
DOCTOR 10: No one in this room will be able to remember if they're human  
DOCTOR: Or Zygon.  
DOCTOR: Whoops a daisy.  
(He jumps on to the table. Three screwdrivers do something to the memory filter in the ceiling. The countdown reaches 7 as the humans look befuddled.)  
KATES: Cancel the detonation!  
(It stops at 5.)  
DOCTOR: Peace in our time.**

"You look so smug." Martha snarked, not unkindly.

"I'm allowed to be a bit smug; I just stopped a Zygon invasion and London being blown up. Again!" The Doctor protested, waving her arms a bit wildly. River laughed behind her, leaning down to gently bring her arms back down to her sides.

"By the way Doc, I've been meaning to ask. Why do aliens always attack England – usually London especially?" Graham queried.

"I have no idea Graham. Good question, 10 points to you." She received a groan from the other two members of her fam.

"Not the points again." Ryan moaned.

**(As the Kates talk in the background.)  
OSGOOD-Z: It's funny, isn't it. If I'm a Zygon, then my clothes must be Zygon, too. So, what happens if I lose a shoe or something?  
(Osgood coughs, and her duplicate returns the inhaler with a shush gesture. Meanwhile, Clara explores the photo array of past companions, starting with the Doctor's granddaughter, Susan. Then she goes to the Warrior, who is sitting in the seventh Doctor's big leather chair.)  
CLARA: Hello.  
WARRIOR: Hello.  
CLARA: I'm Clara. We haven't really met yet.  
WARRIOR: I look forward to it. Is there a problem?  
CLARA: The Doctor, my, my Doctor, he's always talking about the day he did it. The day he wiped out the Time Lords to stop the war.  
WARRIOR: One would.  
CLARA: You wouldn't. Because you haven't done it yet. It's still in your future.  
WARRIOR: You're very sure of yourself.  
CLARA: He regrets it. I see it in his eyes every day. He'd do anything to change it.  
WARRIOR: Including saving all these people. How many worlds has his regret saved, do you think? Look over there. Humans and Zygons working together in peace. How did you know?**

"You've saved so many people. The war was terrible but it helped make you kinder, it helped make you who you are Doctor. Just think how many people wouldn't be alive because you weren't there. How many times would the Earth have been destroyed or taken over without you here to protect it. You are needed Doctor." River almost pleaded with the Doctor to try and get her to understand. All the companions thought about it. Most of them would be dead if the Doctor hadn't saved them and the Earth would have been destroyed a long time ago.

The Doctor just shook her head silently, not meeting anyone's eyes. Maybe she had saved some people, but it was never enough. She had destroyed so many lives and hurt so many people, she would never save enough. She was so tired.

**CLARA: Your eyes. You're so much younger.  
WARRIOR: Then, all things considered, it's time I grew up. I've seen all I needed. The moment has come.  
(The Moment is standing nearby, watching them.)  
WARRIOR: I'm ready.  
MOMENT: I know you are.  
CLARA: Who's there? Who were you talking to?  
(The Warrior, Doctor Eight point five, has vanished.)**

"Well, that explains that." Clara muttered to herself.

**[Barn]**

**MOMENT: You wanted a big red button.  
(A red, rose-like button stands on a stalk above the Moment box.)  
MOMENT: One big bang, no more Time Lords. No more Daleks. Are you sure?  
WARRIOR: I was sure when I came in here. There is no other way.  
MOMENT: You've seen the men you will become.  
WARRIOR: Those men. Extraordinary.  
MOMENT: They were you.  
WARRIOR: No. They are the Doctor.  
MOMENT: You're the Doctor, too.  
WARRIOR: No. Great men are forged in fire. It is the privilege of lesser men to light the flame, whatever the cost.  
(His hand hesitates over the button as he recalls the sound of children's laughter.)  
MOMENT: You know the sound the Tardis makes? That wheezing, groaning. That sound brings hope wherever it goes.**

The companions all smiled remembering the sound of the Tardis. It had brought hope to them many times.

**WARRIOR: Yes. Yes, I like to think it does.  
MOMENT: To anyone who hears it, Doctor. Anyone, however lost.  
(The sound of the time rotor is heard.)  
MOMENT: Even you.**

The older companions who had heard what happened were starting to hope. With all the comments over the video, maybe it was possible the Doctor hadn't done it. Maybe she had managed to save it.

**(Two Tardises park themselves in the barn. Enter the Doctors and Clara.)  
CLARA: I told you. He hasn't done it yet.  
WARRIOR: Go away now, all of you. This is for me.  
DOCTOR 10: These events should be time-locked. We shouldn't even be here.  
DOCTOR: So something let us through.  
MOMENT: You clever boys.  
WARRIOR: Go back. Go back to your lives. Go and be the Doctor that I could never be. Make it worthwhile.  
DOCTOR 10: All those years, burying you in my memory.  
DOCTOR: Pretending you didn't exist. Keeping you a secret, even from myself.  
DOCTOR 10: Pretending you weren't the Doctor, when you were the Doctor more than anybody else.  
DOCTOR: You were the Doctor on the day it wasn't possible to get it right.  
DOCTOR 10: But this time  
DOCTOR: You don't have to do it alone.  
(They put their hands on the button together.)  
WARRIOR: Thank you.  
DOCTOR 10: What we do today is not out of fear or hatred. It is done because there is no other way.  
DOCTOR: And it is done in the name of the many lives we are failing to save.**

The Doctor pulled her knees up to her chest and hid her head. Not wanting to think, not wanting to remember. The others all looked like they wanted to cry, a few had tears pooling in their eyes. To know and to see the act was very different. Their hope was shrinking.

**(He looks at Clara, who shakes her head.)  
DOCTOR: What? What is it? What?  
CLARA: Nothing.  
DOCTOR: No, it's something. Tell me.  
CLARA: You told me you wiped out your own people. I just. I never pictured you doing it, that's all.  
MOMENT: Take a closer look.  
(It suddenly goes dark.)  
CLARA: What's happening?  
WARRIOR: Nothing. It's a projection.  
MOMENT: It's a reality around you.  
(They are seeing Gallifrey at war.)  
CLARA: These are the people you're going to burn?  
DOCTOR 10: There isn't anything we can do.  
DOCTOR: He's right. There isn't another way. There never was. Either I destroy my own people or let the universe burn.**

They watched the screen in horror. None wanting to think about what they would do in the Doctor's situation. River dug her legs into the Doctor's back to ground her and reassure her she was there for her. She hated seeing her wife like this, knowing how much she was haunted by the memories of what she had thought she had done. The Master watched the screen with a dark expression, he didn't feel any guilt about burning Gallifrey again.

**CLARA: Look at you. The three of you. The warrior, the hero, and you.  
DOCTOR: And what am I?  
CLARA: Have you really forgotten?  
DOCTOR: Yes. Maybe, yes.  
CLARA: We've got enough warriors. Any old idiot can be a hero.  
DOCTOR: Then what do I do?  
CLARA: What you've always done. Be a doctor. You told me the name you chose was a promise. What was the promise?  
(The fighting seems to have stopped on Gallifrey.)  
DOCTOR 10: Never cruel or cowardly.  
WARRIOR: Never give up, never give in.**

The former companions smiled thankfully at Clara; glad she was with the Doctor during the horrible situation. Some of them were stuck remembering the times when they had asked about Gallifrey or the Doctor's name. The three newest companions shared a look. This was new information for the three of them. The Doctor normally put on a façade of being happy but they were seeing so much more than they had seen before. No one wonder she didn't want to take them to her home.

**(The images vanish.)  
DOCTOR 10: You're not actually suggesting that we change our own personal history?  
DOCTOR: We change history all the time. I'm suggesting far worse.  
WARRIOR: What, exactly?  
DOCTOR: Gentlemen, I have had four hundred years to think about this. I've changed my mind.  
(He sonicks the big red button back into the Moment box.)**

For those that didn't know about the true fate of Gallifrey, which was almost everyone, hope started to bloom again. Was it possible that the Doctor had managed to save her home?

**WARRIOR: There's still a billion billion Daleks up there, attacking.  
DOCTOR: Yeah, there is. There is.  
DOCTOR 10: But there's something those billion billion Daleks don't know.  
DOCTOR: Because if they did, they'd probably send for reinforcements.  
CLARA: What? What don't they know?  
DOCTOR: This time, there's three of us.  
WARRIOR: Oh! Oh, yes, that is good. That is brilliant!  
DOCTOR 10: Oh, oh, oh, I'm getting that too! That is brilliant!  
DOCTOR: Ha, ha, ha! I've been thinking about it for centuries.  
WARRIOR: She didn't just show me any old future, she showed me exactly the future I needed to see.  
MOMENT: Now you're getting it.  
DOCTOR: Eh? Who did?  
WARRIOR: Oh, Bad Wolf girl, I could kiss you.  
MOMENT: Yeah, that's going to happen.  
DOCTOR 10: Sorry, did you just say Bad Wolf?**

"You look so shocked!" Rose chuckled at the Doctor's face. The Doctor just grinned, happy to see her laughing.

**CLARA: So what are we doing? What's the plan?  
WARRIOR: The Dalek fleets are surrounding Gallifrey, firing on it constantly.  
DOCTOR 10: The Sky Trench is holding, but what if the whole planet just disappeared?  
CLARA: Tiny bit of an ask.  
DOCTOR 10: The Daleks would be firing on each other. They'd destroy themselves in their own crossfire.  
WARRIOR: Gallifrey would be gone, the Daleks would be destroyed, and it would look to the rest of the universe as if they'd annihilated each other.  
CLARA: But where would Gallifrey be?  
DOCTOR 10: Frozen. Frozen in an instant of time, safe and hidden away.  
DOCTOR: Exactly.  
WARRIOR: Like a painting.**

Everyone started grinning wildly, bar the two Time Lords, even cheering a bit. It was the Doctor, of course she had manged to save them.

**[War room]**

**ANDROGAR: Another one.  
GENERAL: Are you sure the message is from him?  
ANDROGAR: Oh, yes.  
GENERAL: Why would he do that?  
(The message reads - Gallifrey Stands.)  
GENERAL: What's the mad fool talking about now?  
(Holo-monitors appear as the Doctors introduce themselves.)  
DOCTOR [on monitor]: Hello, hello, Gallifrey High Command, this is the Doctor speaking.  
DOCTOR 10 [on monitor]: Hello! Also the Doctor. Can you hear me?  
WARRIOR [on monitor]: Also the Doctor, standing ready.  
GENERAL: Dear God, three of them. All my worst nightmares at once.**

There were a few laughs across the room but Clara scowled a bit. "I'm sorry Doctor, but I really don't like your people." She couldn't get over what they had done to the Doctor with the confession dial and how it had led to the Doctor forgetting her.

"Oh, don't worry, neither of us really like many of them either. The Doctor felt guilty about the children but there was definitely a few of our people she was happy to see die. I know I was happy to hear many of them burned." The Doctor glared at the Master who smirked smugly at her. The companions looked between them like it was tennis match. "Oh, don't look at me like that. Your dear Doctor may help people but she is just as much a renegade as I am according to our people. We both ran away, stole TARDISes and broke the interference laws."

She turned away from him and ignored the stares of her friends in favour of glaring at the floor. "Maybe but the Doctor saves people unlike you who spends your time killing people and destroying worlds." Martha glared at the Master, not ready or willing to forget the Year that Never Was. The Doctor felt joy at hearing her protests and it swelled when she heard agreements from the others that had met the Master. She looked up at Martha gratefully and received a smile and nod in return.

**DOCTOR 10 [on monitor]: General, we have a plan.**

**[Tardis]**

**DOCTOR: We should point at this moment, it is a fairly terrible plan**

**[War room]**

**DOCTOR 10 [on monitor]: And almost certainly won't work.  
DOCTOR [on monitor]: I was happy with fairly terrible.  
DOCTOR 10 [on monitor]: Sorry, just thinking out loud.**

**[Tardis]**

**DOCTOR: We're flying our three Tardises into your lower atmosphere.**

**[Tardis 10]**

**DOCTOR 10: We're positioned at equidistant intervals around the globe. Equidistant. So grown up.**

"Grown up? You're not grown up. You're a child dressing up in their parent's clothing." Amy laughed at him, glad to see the Doctor was going to save her home. The others laughed with her agreeing.

**[Tardis 8.5]**

**WARRIOR: We're just about ready to do it.  
GENERAL [OC]: Ready to do what?**

**[Tardis]**

**DOCTOR: We're going to freeze Gallifrey.**

**[War room]**

**GENERAL: I'm sorry, what?**

**[Tardis 10]**

**DOCTOR 10: Using our Tardises, we're going to freeze Gallifrey in a single moment in time.**

**[War room]**

**WARRIOR [on monitor]: You know, like those stasis cubes? A single moment in time, held in a parallel pocket universe.**

**[Tardis]**

**DOCTOR: Except we're going to do it to a whole planet.**

**[Tardis 10]**

**DOCTOR 10: And all the people on it.**

**[War room]**

**GENERAL: What? Even if that were possible**

**[Tardis]**

**GENERAL [OC]: Which it isn't, why would you do such a thing?  
DOCTOR: Because the alternative is burning.**

**[Tardis 10]**

**DOCTOR 10: And I've seen that.**

**[Tardis]**

**DOCTOR: And I never want to see it again.**

River reached an arm down to squeeze her wife's shoulder, trying to give her some comfort.

**[War room]**

**GENERAL: We'd be lost in another universe, frozen in a single moment. We'd have nothing.**

**[Tardis]**

**DOCTOR: You would have hope. And right now, that is exactly what you don't have.**

**[War room]**

**GENERAL: It's delusional. The calculations alone would take hundreds of years.**

**[Tardises]**

**(Each Tardis has a stasis cube on the console.)  
DOCTOR: Oh, hundreds and hundreds.  
DOCTOR 10: But don't worry, I started a very long time ago.  
DOCTOR 1: Calling the War Council of Gallifrey. This is the Doctor.  
DOCTOR: You might say I've been doing this all my lives.**

**[War room]**

**DOCTOR 2 [on monitor]: Good luck.  
DOCTOR 3 [on monitor]: Standing by.  
DOCTOR 4 [on monitor]: Ready.  
DOCTOR 8 [on monitor]: Commencing calculations.  
DOCTOR 5 [on monitor]: Soon be there.  
DOCTOR 7 [on monitor]: Across the boundaries that divide one universe from another.  
DOCTOR 6 [on monitor]: Just got to lock on to his coordinates.**

**[Tardis 9]**

**DOCTOR 9: And for my next trick.**

"They're all you right? That's your previous regenerations." Bill asked pointing at the screen, the Doctor looked over to the girl and nodded. "Yep, that's me. Went back and convinced them to help. Big headache. Lots of arguing."

**[War room]**

**GENERAL: I didn't know when I was well off. All twelve of them!  
ANDROGAR: No, sir. All thirteen!  
(A new pair of grey eyebrows is seen.)**

"See we got your name right! Those eyebrows! Seriously Doctor. Were you compensating for Chinny's lack of eyebrows or something?" Amy gestured to the screen which had paused on the eyebrows. The others laughed, especially those that knew the regeneration in question.

"Wait, 13? I thought you could only have 12 regenerations – 13 faces. And, the thing with your hand and the planets in the sky, plus the warrior. Doctor?" Jack blinked confused.

"Just realised that now? Yes, Chinny should have been it, but there was a Thing. A Thing to do with Trenzalore and I got a new cycle. Technically this is my second body of my new cycle." The Doctor explained. She had been expecting the question from Jack or one of the others sooner or later. She shared a glance with the Master, who was the only one who knew the truth. She didn't want to tell them about what the Master had shown her in the Matrix, that meant she would have to accept it. Plus, she had an uncomfortable feeling that was the secret the TARDIS wanted to show them.

"There is always a thing with you Doctor." Jack sighed; he watched her assessing. He could tell there was lots more to it than that but she wasn't going to explain anytime soon. Drawing secrets from her was like drawing water from a stone. Virtually impossible and painful for all parties involved.

**ANDROGAR: Sir! The Daleks know that something is happening. They're increasing their fire power.  
GENERAL: Do it, Doctor. Just do it.**

**[Tardises]**

**GENERAL [OC]: Just do it.  
DOCTOR: Okay. Gentlemen, we're ready. Geronimo!  
DOCTOR 10: Allons-y!  
WARRIOR: Oh, for God's sake. Gallifrey stands!  
(Tardises rush towards the planet and surround it, then whiteout!)**

**[National Gallery]**

**(Having a cup of tea in front of Gallifrey Falls. Three Tardises are lined up by one wall. The opposite is decorated with a collection of roundels.)**

"Well, that's a bit of an anti-climax, Doc." Jack chuckled, happy that the Doctor had managed to save her people. He glanced at the Doctor, expecting an answering grin but found a blank expression as she glared at the floor. Something was wrong, a pit settled in Jack's stomach, what secret was so bad for the TARDIS to bring them here?

**WARRIOR: I don't suppose we'll know if we actually succeeded. But at worst, we failed doing the right thing, as opposed to succeeding in doing the wrong.  
CLARA: Life and soul, you are.  
DOCTOR 10: What is it actually called?  
DOCTOR: Well, there's some debate. Either No More or Gallifrey Falls.  
WARRIOR: Not very encouraging.**

"It isn't particularly, is it?" Rory said. Amy was leaning against him, his arm around her shoulder comforting her. "To be fair it could be worse though." She added to her husband's comment.

**DOCTOR 10: How did it get here?  
DOCTOR: No idea.  
DOCTOR 10: There's always something we don't know, isn't there?  
WARRIOR: One should certainly hope so. Well, gentlemen, it has been an honour and a privilege.  
DOCTOR 10: Likewise.  
DOCTOR: Doctor.  
WARRIOR: And if I grow to be half the man that you are, Clara Oswald, I shall be happy indeed.  
CLARA: That's right. Aim high.  
WARRIOR: I won't remember this, will I?  
DOCTOR: The time streams are out of sync. You can't retain it, no.  
WARRIOR: So I won't remember that I tried to save Gallifrey rather than burn it. I'll have to live with that. But for now, for this moment, I am the Doctor again. Thank you. Which one is mine? Ha!  
(He goes into the shabbiest Tardis. It dematerialises.)**

**[Tardis 8.5]**

**(The Warrior begins to regenerate.)  
WARRIOR: Oh yes, of course. I suppose it makes sense. Wearing a bit thin. I hope the ears are a bit less conspicuous this time.**

"I'm sorry Doctor but that didn't work out well." Rose grinned at the Doctor who shrugged. "Wait, how long after this did you meet me then?"

"It wasn't long, maybe a few days or so? No longer than a couple of weeks for sure. Thank you, Rose; you really helped me back then, when I had thought I had done it. I really appreciate everything you did for me back then." The Doctor smiled up at Rose thankful. Rose retuned the smile happily.

**[National Gallery]**

**DOCTOR 10: I won't remember either, so you might as well tell me.  
DOCTOR: Tell you what?  
DOCTOR 10: Where it is we're going that you don't want to talk about.  
DOCTOR: I saw Trenzalore, where we're buried. We die in battle among millions.**

"What, no! Doctor that can't be it." Jack stared at the Doctor in shock. The others, barring River and Clara, were watching her with similar looks. None of them could believe that was how she died. It wasn't right.

"It's okay Jack. Stuff happened, it's complicated but it is already in the past for me." She smiled reassuringly at her old friend. The Master nodded at her when he managed to catch her eye; he didn't know the full story but he knew parts of it.

**DOCTOR 10: That's not how it's supposed to be.  
DOCTOR: That's how the story ends. Nothing we can do about it. Trenzalore is where you're going.  
DOCTOR 10: Oh, never say nothing. Anyway, good to know my future is in safe hands. Keep a tight hold on it, Clara.  
CLARA: On it.  
(He kisses her hand.)  
DOCTOR 10: Trenzalore. We need a new destination, because I don't want to go.  
(He gets into the next, not brightly painted, Tardis and it dematerialises.)  
DOCTOR: He always says that.  
CLARA: Need a moment alone with your painting?  
DOCTOR: How did you know?  
CLARA: Those big sad eyes.  
DOCTOR: Ah.  
CLARA: I always know. Oh, by the way, there was an old man looking for you. I think it was the curator.  
(She goes into the Tardis. The Doctor sits and looks at the painting.)  
DOCTOR: I could be a curator. I'd be great at curating. I'd be the Great Curator. I could retire and do that. I could retire and be the curator of this place.  
CURATOR: You know, I really think you might.  
(Yes, that is the current silver haired version of the fourth Doctor you just heard. There's Tom Baker, leaning on a walking stick.)  
DOCTOR: I never forget a face.  
CURATOR: I know you don't. And in years to come, you might find yourself revisiting a few. But just the old favourites, eh?  
(The Doctor winks.)**

"Doctor, what is he talking about?" Ryan asked bemused. Most of the others had similar looks on their faces.

"That's one of my old faces, my fourth face. The one that wore the scarf Osgood had." The Doctor explained the best that she could. "However, I didn't grow that old in that face so I don't know how he is there or why. A future incarnation maybe? He did say about 'revisiting a few'."

**CURATOR: You were curious about this painting, I think. I acquired it in remarkable circumstances. What do you make of the title?  
DOCTOR: Which title? There's two. No More or Gallifrey Falls.  
CURATOR: Oh, you see, that's where everybody's wrong. It's all one title. Gallifrey Falls No More. Now, what would you think that means, eh?  
DOCTOR: That Gallifrey didn't fall. It worked. It's still out there.**

All her companions were grinning. The Doctor had managed to save them, of course she had. They were so happy for them, especially the ones who knew her when she was suffering from the war. Her current fam though exchanged a glance, if she had saved them then why did she not talk about it? And what had happened, because when they had seen it, it was burning.

The Doctor glared at the Master who shrugged at her with a smirk. She was furious at him for a number of things. Giving her fake coordinates as Missy and destroying Gallifrey and then teasing her about it were near the top of the (very) long list.

**CURATOR: I'm only a humble curator. I'm sure I wouldn't know.  
DOCTOR: Then where is it?  
CURATOR: Where is it indeed? Lost. Shush. Perhaps. Things do get lost, you know. And now you must excuse me. Oh, you have a lot to do.  
DOCTOR: Do I?  
CURATOR: Mmm.  
DOCTOR: Is that what I'm supposed to do now? Go looking for Gallifrey?**

"Did you find it? Did you go home?" Amy grinned, happy for her friend.

The Doctor frowned, sharing a dark look with Clara. "Yes. Didn't go well. It never does." Her companions glanced at her in concern but got the feeling she wouldn't say anything more no matter how hard they tried.

**CURATOR: Oh, it's entirely up to you. Your choice, eh? I can only tell you what I would do if I were you. Oh, if I were you. Oh, perhaps I was you, of course. Or perhaps you are me. Congratulations.  
DOCTOR: Thank you very much.  
CURATOR: Or perhaps it doesn't matter either way. Who knows, eh? Who knows?  
(The Curator leaves a happy Doctor.)**

**[Tardis]**

**DOCTOR [OC]: Clara sometimes asks me if I dream. Of course I dream, I tell her. Everybody dreams. But what do you dream about, she'll ask. The same thing everybody dreams about, I tell her. I dream about where I'm going. She always laughs at that. But you're not going anywhere, you're just wandering about.  
(He walks out to join his past selves, backs to us, gazing out at the stars.)  
DOCTOR [OC]: That's not true. Not any more. I have a new destination. My journey is the same as yours, the same as anyones. It's taken me so many years, so many lifetimes, but at last I know where I'm going.  
(A big golden planet hangs in the sky. He stands between the 10th and 8.5 Doctors.)  
DOCTOR [OC]: Where I've always been going. Home, the long way round.  
(Final shot, a front view of the known Doctors. Left to right - 2, 4, 6, 8, 8.5, 11, 10, 9, 7, 5, 3 and behind them, number one.)**

"And they are really all you? Before Eyebrows anyway. Wow, I see what they were talking about with the fashion sense." Bill nodded to herself.

"That's what you got out of that?!" The Doctor looked at her incredulous, while the other laughed at her. Despite the laughter they were all inspecting the previous regenerations of the Doctor.

"Is that the end of the first video?" Yaz queried, unsure who she was actually asking.

"I think so, anyone want anything or we all good for another video first?" The Doctor looked around the room, half of them were still looking at the screen and the others were chatting amongst themselves but she received shrugs and nods. "Okay, erm Sexy? Can we have the next video please?" The Doctor looked up at the ceiling of the room a bit awkward but the old video disappeared, replaced with the words "Twice Upon a Time".


	3. Twice Upon A Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!  
> Thank you so much for all the support, I'm glad you're all enjoying it.
> 
> Just wanted to WARN you that the Doctor is in a very bad mental state - regretting her regeneration and stuff - so warning for suicidal thoughts/feelings. Please don't read if that will trigger you.
> 
> I'm planning to update each weekend.  
> Hope you enjoy!  
> Robyn

The screen turned white and the words 'Twice Upon a Time' appeared on the screen.

**[Tardis]**

**(Black and white 4:3 grainy picture - excerpts from** **The Tenth Planet,** **709 episodes ago...)  
DOCTOR 1: Quite an Arctic storm blowing out there. Hmm! Come along, Polly, my child, with my cloak.  
POLLY: Hey, Doctor, you've got the most fantastic wardrobe.  
(Ben is zipping up a parka, and Polly has found a fur coat and hat. Well, it is 1966. Such things were still okay then.)  
DOCTOR 1: Yes. We don't know what we're in for outside there. Pretty soon we shall be having visitors.**

"Woah, that's old. Is that really you? Who are those people?" Bill spoke, managing somehow to rock on her beanbag.

The Doctor grinned at her questions, she hadn't changed, still so curious. "Yes, that's me! My first face, well the first one I remember." She glanced at the Master who frowned but refused to give up his thoughts. She turned back to Bill, smile on her face. They didn't need to know any of that yet. "That's Polly and Ben, they travelled with me back then. It was all a very long time ago Bill."

**[Tracking station]**

**(Later in the story - to a Cyberman.)  
POLLY: You're different. You've got no feelings.  
KRAIL: I do not understand that word.  
DOCTOR 1: Emotions. Love, pride, hate, fear.  
(William Harnell has David Bradley's face digitally placed over his as we come into colour and 16:9 ratio.)  
DOCTOR 1: Have you no emotions, sir?**

Everyone looked uncomfortable seeing the Cybermen. Especially Bill, who had been turned into one, and Clara who had lost Danny. The Doctor shuffled her beanbag closer to Bill and pulled the younger girl into a hug. She then shuffled them so Bill lay against her, her arm around Bill to comfort her. She wasn't normally so touchy-feely but she would make an exception to comfort her friends especially after she failed them so badly. The Doctor had a feeling she knew what they were going to see and she didn't like it. She didn't want everyone to see it.

**(Later, at the start of part 4, the first Doctor's hand is glowing gold in a complete remake of the missing video.)  
POLLY: What's happened to you, Doctor?  
DOCTOR 1: I guess this old body of mine is wearing a bit thin.**

"Your first regeneration." It was a statement, not a question but she looked up at River anyway and nodded grimacing.

"What caused it? I mean if you don't mind me asking." Yaz asked, biting her lip when she realised what she had asked.

The Doctor smiled at her. "It's okay, I don't mind, like I said it was a very long time ago. I died of old age ultimately. There was a thing with Mondas and Cybermen. Something to do with draining the Earth's energy or something, long story and it was a very long time ago. I think that might have been one of my only semi-natural deaths actually." She considered, did dying in her eleventh face (Chinny) count as natural? Yes, it had been old age but she had been in a siege for 900 years. Oh, well not the time to think on it. Her companions gave her concerned looks but decided not to ask anything else.

**[Cyberman ship]**

**(At the end of the story.)  
BEN: Doctor! Wakey, wakey, it's all over now.  
(Polly and Ben free the Doctor from the cage.)  
DOCTOR 1: No. It isn't all over. It's far from being all over.  
BEN: What are you talking about?  
DOCTOR 1: I must get back to the Tardis.**

**A long time ago, at the south pole the Doctor refused to regenerate...**

**[Antarctica]**

**DOCTOR 1: I can't go through with it. I will fight it. I will not change.**

"You weren't going to regenerate? But we would have never of met you." Rose watched the Doctor, searching for something in those old eyes. The Doctor just shrugged half-heartedly, still holding Bill and glaring at the screen.

The Master glanced at her a bit surprised, she raised an eyebrow in question but he just shook his head and settled back into his chair with a blank expression. It wouldn't do to show his shock or worry. If she hadn't regenerated the first time; he would have never seen her again, no one would have known that she had died bar maybe a couple of humans.

**DOCTOR [OC]: Hello? Is someone there? Hello?**

**...twice.**

"Doctor. What does it mean 'twice'?" For once Jack was serious, glancing quickly between her and the screen. She didn't answer him, he'd find out. They would all find out how close she had been to not being here, how much she wanted to not be here sometimes (most of the time).

**(And into the end of** **The Doctor Falls,** **but from the 1st Doctor's point of view.)  
DOCTOR 1: Who is that?  
DOCTOR: I'm the Doctor.  
DOCTOR 1: Oh, I don't think so. No. Dear me, no. You may be ** _**a** _ **Doctor, but I am** _**the** _ **Doctor. The original, you might say.**

"Are you meeting yourself again? I thought you weren't supposed to do that." Amy asked.

"Yes, I met myself again. No, we aren't really supposed to do that. Though it does seem to keep happening to me, not always necessarily my fault." She mused on that, Gallifrey was definitely to blame for several occasions. "To be fair, this is well after the last video, at least a thousand odd years or so." She was probably a bit snappish but she really wasn't happy about what they were going to find out in this video.

**(The Doctor gets to his feet.)  
DOCTOR: You. How can it be you?  
DOCTOR 1: Do I know you, sir?  
DOCTOR: This is the South Pole. We're at the South Pole.  
DOCTOR 1: Of course we are. Don't you know that?  
DOCTOR: This is where it happened.  
DOCTOR 1: Where what happened?  
DOCTOR: This is it. The very first time that I, well, you, ** _**we** _ **regenerated. You're mid-regeneration, aren't you? Your face, it's all over the place, but you're trying to hold it back.  
DOCTOR 1: What do you know of regeneration? Are you a Time Lord?  
DOCTOR: You know who I am. You must.**

"You really didn't know it was you that you were talking to?" Martha questioned looking worriedly at the quiet Doctor. She was never naturally this quiet which meant this was something she didn't want to talk about.

"Well, I didn't really expect it back in those days plus I was still pretty young despite appearances."

**DOCTOR 1: Hmm. Have you come to take the ship back?  
DOCTOR: The ship. You still call it a ship.**

"What do you mean 'take it back'?" Mickey asked. He was comfortable on his sofa, arm around his wife as she cuddled into his shoulder.

Bill was happily leaning against the Doctor. It was rare the Doctor allowed physical contact as Eyebrows so she was enjoying it while it lasted. Plus, she appreciated the comfort.

River had gone back to sitting with her parents between videos so Yaz was now leaning back on the sofa, enjoying the space. She and the other two on her sofa shared a look, the Doctor had mentioned she had stolen it but they had never gotten much more out of her.

"Did I not mention that I stole the TARDIS and ran away?" She grinned a bit sheepish despite herself, she got her answer through a few vigorous shaking heads from some of her companions that didn't know. The rest of the companions grinned, most already knowing something about it but happy for the reminder and glad to see she was entertaining herself.

**DOCTOR 1: Oh dear, what have you done to it?  
DOCTOR: Nothing.  
DOCTOR 1: (walking around the Tardis) The windows.  
DOCTOR: I don't remember this.  
DOCTOR 1: They're the wrong size. The colour.  
DOCTOR: I don't remember trying not to change.  
DOCTOR 1: I'm sure it's changed.  
DOCTOR: Not back then.  
DOCTOR 1: Look at it. It seems to have expanded.**

"Oh, so you don't just insult each other, you also insult each other's Tardises." Clara smiled at the Doctor, but it faded a bit when she didn't meet her gaze.

**DOCTOR: Well, it's all those years of bigger on the inside, You try sucking your tummy in that long. Why are you trying not to regenerate?  
DOCTOR 1: I have the courage and the right to live and die as myself.  
DOCTOR: Too late, it's started. A few minutes ago, you were weak as a kitten, right? Now you're fine. We're in a state of grace, both of us, but it won't last long. We have a choice. Either we change and go on, or we die as we are. But if you, if you die here, if your future never happens, if you don't do the things that you are supposed to do, the consequences could be...**

"Is that really what regeneration is like? I know you've said it is painful." Rose asked, having seen two regenerations (well one and a half) but still unsure of what it actually felt like. The Doctor had been up and running and didn't really mention it again, well after collapsing unconscious for several hours.

"It's incredibly painful. Every cell in your body burns and is replaced. River and the Master could tell you the same."

"Yes, it's painful, but you've always seemed to have it worse than anyone I've ever seen my dear Doctor." The Master shared a glance with her, his expression blank. Both were thinking the same thing. Was it because of the Timeless Child?

The others ignored the exchange, choosing to focus on another part of her comment. "River? You're a Time Lord?" Rose asked shocked.

"It's complicated, I'm not a full Time Lord but I was conceived in the TARDIS so I'm not quite human." River explained a bit, but her attention was focused on her wife who was back to glaring the screen and refusing to meet anyone's eyes.

**(The snow stops falling.)  
DOCTOR: The snow.  
DOCTOR 1: The snow?  
DOCTOR: Look at it!  
DOCTOR 1: How extraordinary.  
(The Doctor flicks at a snowflake, which moves away then back to where it was.)  
DOCTOR: Everything's stopped. But why? Maybe it's us, maybe it's something else, but somehow, something has gone very wrong with Time.  
CAPTAIN: Hello?  
(A figure in uniform, with a moustache and holding a pistol approaches. No prizes for guessing whose predecessor he will turn out to be, because it's far too obvious.)  
CAPTAIN: Sorry. So sorry. I don't suppose either of you is a doctor?  
DOCTOR: You trying to be funny?**

"Doctor! You could be a bit nicer; he's clearly confused." Donna berated the Time Lady.

**[Ypres 1914]**

**(My Granddad called it Wipers. Soldiers are resting in trenches while in a nearby bomb crater, two men are pointing their pistols at each other.)  
CAPTAIN: There's something I should like to say. That is, there is something I should very much like you to understand. I do not have the slightest desire to kill you. The only reason I would do so is self-defence. However, since you are aware I might kill you in self-defence, there is the strong possibility you will kill me in self-defence. Does rather make me wish you understood English.  
GERMAN SOLDIER: Lass mich einfach hier. Ich will dich nicht toten. Bitte geh.  
(Translation - just leave me here. I don't want you dead. Please go.)  
CAPTAIN: Or that I spoke German. War is hell, eh?  
(As both men's fingers start to tighten on triggers, time freezes. But the Captain can still move. He climbs out of the crater and looks at the fires and smoke not moving, the bird in mid-flap. A transparent figure appears. It turns, he gasps, then there is a swift series of images of a giant chamber with lots of lit doorways.)  
FEMALE VOICE: Timeline error. There is a timeline error. Timeline error. There is a timeline error.**

"Who is that?" Mickey asked but received no answer.

**[Antarctica]**

**(And the Captain is dropped into the still snowstorm.)  
DOCTOR [OC]: Everything's stopped.  
DOCTOR 1 [OC]: But why?  
DOCTOR [OC]: Maybe it's us, maybe it's something else, but somehow, something has gone very wrong with Time.  
CAPTAIN: Hello? Sorry. So sorry. I don't suppose either of you is a doctor?  
DOCTOR: Are you trying to be funny?  
(A bright light appears behind the Captain. He turns.)  
CAPTAIN: She's coming. She's coming. It's her.  
DOCTOR 1: Not human, I think. State your planet of origin and your intentions. This is Earth, a level five civilisation.  
DOCTOR: And it is protected.  
DOCTOR 1: It's what?  
(The transparent figure and the light disappears.)  
DOCTOR; Oh. Okay. That doesn't usually work.  
DOCTOR 1: Protected by whom?  
DOCTOR: Oh, it is early days, isn't it?**

The companions all grinned remembering all the times the Doctor had saved the world. All her speeches and all the species she had sent running away from the Earth because she protected it. The Doctor watched the screen, analysing everything, who had she been kidding? How could she protect Earth if she couldn't protect Gallifrey? Or even know who she was?

**DOCTOR 1: (to the Captain) May I suggest, for your own safety, you step onboard my ship?  
CAPTAIN: What ship?  
DOCTOR: He means, get inside the box.  
(The first Doctor unlocks the 12th's Tardis.)  
DOCTOR 1: A little snug from this angle**

**[Tardis]**

**DOCTOR 1: But you might be in for a sur... My Tardis. Look at my Tardis!**

"Like the new interior Doctor! She's as beautiful as always." Jack looked a bit lovesick seeing the new TARDIS design. The others who hadn't seen it before were all studying the screen intensely, comparing it to the one(s) they knew.

**CAPTAIN: This is impossible!  
DOCTOR 1: Have I been burgled?  
CAPTAIN: It's... but it's...  
DOCTOR 1: It's hideous!**

"At this point I think it is tradition for me to hate my future TARDIS designs until I regenerate into the appropriate face." The Doctor mumbled to herself, drawing a few raised eyebrows.

**(Continuing that splendid tradition of Doctors hating each others taste in interiors.)  
CAPTAIN: Bigger on the inside than it is on the outside.  
DOCTOR: You know, I thought it probably was. I'm glad it's not just me.**

"You were really sarcastic that regeneration, weren't you?" Amy laughed. "Shame I didn't meet you like that; we could have been sarcastic Scots together!" Amy grinned wider when she got a returning genuine grin from the Doctor. Amy had probably been some inspiration in the accent subconsciously. Eyebrows may have had a face as a reminder of Donna and her words but the accent was all his little Amelia's. Or maybe it was for Jamie, who had lost all memories of him. Maybe it was for both of them, both of his dear Scottish friends, they would have gotten on well.

**(Shuts the doors behind him.)  
CAPTAIN: What is this place?  
DOCTOR 1: This place is, or ought to be, my Tardis.  
(The Doctor swings the scanner round.)  
DOCTOR: Technically, that is your Tardis. It's about seventy feet that way, see? Always remember where you parked. It's going to come up a lot.**

"Had a bit of trouble with that eh, Doc? You always need to leave it somewhere you will remember." Jack laughed along with Rose, both remembering the first time they had met back in 1941. The others looked at the pair confused before shrugging it off as an inside joke.

**CAPTAIN: Is this madness? Am I going mad?  
DOCTOR: Madness? Well, you're an officer from World War One at the South Pole, being pursued by an alien through frozen time. Madness was never this good.**

"Says you, you're a certified madman." Donna scoffed. The Doctor shrugged. It's not like she could (or would) deny it.

**CAPTAIN: World War One?  
DOCTOR: Judging by the uniform, yes.  
CAPTAIN: Yes, but what do you mean, one?  
DOCTOR: Oh, sorry. Spoilers.**

"That's my word honey. You really need to stop messing with history." River smiled at her wife who rolled her eyes. Like River had any place to talk, she messed with history just as much as she did, if not more at times.

**DOCTOR 1: Enough of this! Who are you?  
DOCTOR: Er, you know who I am. You knew the moment you saw me. I'd say stop being an idiot, but I kind of know what's coming.  
(The 1st Doctor removes his astrakan hat and cloak and hands them to his successor.)  
DOCTOR 1: I assure you, I do not have the faintest idea who you are.  
DOCTOR: Well, I know who you are.  
CAPTAIN: (holding a video tape) Is anyone going to explain what's going on?  
(The Doctor shows off the regeneration glow in his hand.)  
DOCTOR: Snap.  
DOCTOR 1: You are me? No. No.  
DOCTOR: Yes. Yes, I'm very much afraid so.  
DOCTOR 1: Do I become you?  
DOCTOR: Well, there's a few false starts, but you get there in the end.  
DOCTOR 1: But I thought  
DOCTOR: What?  
DOCTOR 1: Well, I assumed I'd get er, younger.  
DOCTOR: I am younger!**

The others laughed at her offended expression, even the Master chuckled quietly in his corner. The Doctor muttered to herself, still offended by that comment. She may have been older in age, but she was younger in appearance!

**CAPTAIN: You know, I really don't think I'm completely following. Oh. Oh dear.  
DOCTOR 1: Oh, you're in shock. Let me help you. Er, brandy. Get him brandy. Do you have any? I had some somewhere.  
DOCTOR: Hang on.  
DOCTOR 1: Sit down here, my boy. Collect your wits.  
(The Aldebaran brandy bottle, decanter and glasses are behind a roundel.)  
CAPTAIN: Who are you people?  
DOCTOR 1: I am the Doctor, and this is my  
DOCTOR: It's complicated. Actually, I am also  
DOCTOR 1: My nurse.  
DOCTOR: Excuse me?**

The others resumed laughing again. It was a change to see the Doctor get offended like that, of course it was her past face that did it.

**DOCTOR 1: I realise that seems a little improbable.  
DOCTOR: Well, yes.  
DOCTOR 1: Because he's a man.  
DOCTOR: What?  
DOCTOR 1: Older gentlemen, like women, can be put to use.  
DOCTOR: You can't, you, you, you can't say things like that.  
DOCTOR 1: Can't I? Says who?  
DOCTOR: Just about everyone you're going to meet for the rest of your life. Here.**

"Before you say anything that was a very long time ago and I spent most of my time in the 60's so I picked up some of the time period's idiotic views. I'm going to apologise now for everything he, erm I, say. No, I do not agree with it." The Doctor put her hands up before the abuse started. She got a few questioning eyebrows to which she answered with a frown.

**DOCTOR 1: Have you had some of this?  
DOCTOR: Well, you know, I may have snuck a glass at some point in the last fifteen hundred years. It's been rock and roll.**

"You have alcohol on the Tardis? And you never told me about this. Seriously Doc I'm offended, you've been holding out on me!" Jack laughed, hand on his heart in fake offense.

"Why do you even have it? You hate the taste, I kept having to remind you of that moron." Amy grinned thinking back to all the times she had seen him drink (and then spit out) alcohol.

"I didn't think it would be a good idea to give you more alcohol Jack, and my tastes change with the face Amy. Besides it doesn't really have the same effect on Time Lords as it does humans due to our-."

"Superior biology." Her companions mimicked interrupting her, bursting into laughter once they realised what they had done.

"Good to see you haven't changed much!" Rose managed to choke out amongst her laughter. The Doctor smiled at her companions, mildly offended but too happy to see them happy and distracted. Then she got curious and more serious look. "Is there something else that works like alcohol for you? I mean I know Advil is poisonous to you, but is there anything else we should know?"

"Advil's poisonous? Blimey Doc, you should have warned us." Graham blinked worriedly.

"Yeah, sorry Graham. Probably should have, guess it didn't come up. To answer your question Rose, ginger acts similarly to alcohol for us. We can't really metabolise it easily." The Doctor answered a bit sheepish. She purposely ignored the fact she had eaten ginger sweets around her latest companions without them knowing.

**DOCTOR 1: There you are, get this down you. You'll feel a lot better.  
CAPTAIN: Thank you, yes.  
DOCTOR 1: I er, I don't understand any of this.  
DOCTOR: Well of course you understand. I am your future self.  
DOCTOR 1: Are you indeed. And I suppose this is meant to be my Tardis?  
DOCTOR: Our Tardis.  
DOCTOR 1: What's wrong with the lights?  
DOCTOR: It's supposed to be like this.  
DOCTOR 1: Why?  
DOCTOR: It, it's atmospheric.  
DOCTOR 1: Atmospheric? This is the flight deck of the most powerful space-time machine in the known universe, not a restaurant for the French. Good Lord, what is that?  
(Rushing down the steps to his electric guitar.)  
DOCTOR: Oh, look what someone has accidentally left here.  
CAPTAIN: I say, it's some sort of guitar, isn't it?  
DOCTOR: Oh, is it yours?  
CAPTAIN: No.**

"Wait, since when do you play the guitar?" Martha questioned bemused but entertained by the Doctor trying to pretend it wasn't his.

Clara and Bill groaned in sync. "He was always playing it in that face. Really annoying." Clara explained.

"To be fair he was really good at it." Bill admitted gaining a large grin from the Doctor.

**DOCTOR 1: It appears to have been played quite recently. It's the only thing here that's been cleaned. Yes, in fact this whole place could do with a good dusting. Obviously Polly isn't around any more.  
DOCTOR: Please, please. Please stop saying things like that.  
(The Tardis shakes. It has been clamped and is being winched up on chains into a big diamond-shaped spaceship. The Doctor opens the door and looks down at the receding snowscape then up at their abductors, and goes back inside. He throws the main time rotor lever several times to no avail.)  
DOCTOR: I can't get the engines to start. There's some kind of signal blocking the command path.  
(The Tardis is now inside the spaceship.)  
FEMALE VOICE [OC]: Exit your capsule. The Chamber of the Dead awaits you.  
DOCTOR: I'll fix the engines while you keep her talking. Fields up.**

"Chamber of the Dead. That doesn't sound like a nice place." Nardole muttered half to himself.

**[Chamber of the Dead]**

**(A multistory room with lots of archways that light up at random. The Tardis is parked at the bottom of a long staircase. This is the place that the Captain was between Ypres and Antarctica.)  
FEMALE VOICE [OC]: Look around you. You stand in the Chamber of the Dead.  
(The scene is on the scanner in the Tardis too, and we keep intercutting, but without the watchers saying anything.)  
FEMALE VOICE [OC]: You are known to all here, for you are the Doctor of War.  
DOCTOR 1: The Doctor, yes. But the Doctor of War? Never, ma'am, never.**

The Doctor grimaced, she had never imagined everything she would have done and seen when she first left Gallifrey. She never imagined she would gain any titles let alone one like the 'Doctor of War'. She had wanted to explore the universe and look after Susan not become any kind of figure or soldier.

"Doctor of War?" Yaz asked, biting her lip. They were learning more and more about the Doctor and it was making her worry more and more for the Doctor.

"I've travelled for a long time and picked up quite a few titles. Not all of them nice ones. I'm not proud of most of them." The Doctor sighed.

**FEMALE VOICE [OC]: We offer you a gift. Return to us the human on your Tardis and in exchange, you may speak with her again.  
DOCTOR 1: Speak with whom?  
(A shadowy figure walks out of a ground floor archway with a bright light behind her.)  
DOCTOR 1: Young lady, who are you?  
BILL: Is he here? Is the Doctor here?**

"But that's me! I definitely don't remember that. Doctor, what's going on?" Bill shouted confused, turning to the Doctor, eyes wide in hope of an explanation.

"Don't worry Bill. Everything will be explained I promise. It's nothing bad." The Doctor tried to reassure the girl. Bill watched the Doctor carefully looking for any tells of a lie, nodding slowly in a tentative agreement to wait after a minute of no tells showing themselves.

**(Her Doctor comes out of the Tardis.)  
BILL: Doctor! (they hug) I knew it! I did, I knew it. I knew you couldn't be dead, you don't have the concentration. Doctor? What are you doing?  
(He scans her with the sonic screwdriver.)  
DOCTOR: Just keep still, please. Bill Potts.  
BILL: Yeah.  
DOCTOR: My friend Bill Potts was turned into a Cyberman. She gave her life so that people she barely knew could live. So, let's be clear. Nobody imitates Bill Potts. Nobody mocks Bill Potts.**

"You were turned into a Cyberman? I'm so sorry." Clara looked at the younger girl, understanding and sympathy on her face. "My boyfriend was turned into one, you know during the whole thing with the rain over the cemeteries."

"Oh yeah I remember that! Of course, the Doctor would be involved in that. I'm sorry about your boyfriend." Bill offered her condolences and the other muttered some as well. The ones that had encountered the Cybermen were stuck remembering their own experiences.

The Doctor glared at the Master as he had been responsible for both Cybermen invasions, and Clara and Bills suffering. The Master met her stare blankly, refusing to show any regret. She gritted her teeth. She was really trying to stop herself from leaping to her feet and punching him just to draw out some emotion. Then a new thought slammed across her mind and she had to stifle a chuckle. That made the Master look up at her bewildered at the shift in her mood. _"Contact."_

" _Contact. That's three times you've tried Cybermen recently. Four if you count the Mondasian ship twice. Why? It never works and you always find yourself almost getting killed. You used to be so interesting and now you are reusing the same scheme over and over."_ She laughed at him over their mental ink with an edge of a serious question.

" _I am interesting! How else am I supposed to get your attention? I'm not stupid enough to try the Daleks and I hate them too much to properly try. The Cybermen, however, aren't supposed to pose much danger to us but lots to your little pets."_ The Master answered, feelings of annoyance and a bit of desperation leaking across lowered mental barriers.

" _You really aren't interesting. Some of your older schemes maybe, but definitely not anymore. You used to have manners back then as well. If you want my attention all you have to do is call me, I miss my friend."_ The Doctor stared him down for a minute to convey the seriousness of her message before turning back to the screen and decidedly ignoring him. He always led to such a mix of emotions, always conflicting ones. She hated him so much but she also still loved him. She hated herself for that.

**BILL: Bill Potts is standing right in front of you.  
DOCTOR: How is that even possible?  
BILL: Well, long story short. I totally pulled.  
DOCTOR 1: You, you did what?  
BILL: Heather. Do you remember, the girl in the puddle? Well, she showed up. She came for me.**

"Girl in the puddle. I'm sorry, what?" Mickey asked taken aback. That was definitely high on the weird scale.

"Long story." The Doctor, Bill and Nardole synchronised grinning at each other.

**DOCTOR: How romantic. Where is she?  
BILL: Well, she's. She's.  
DOCTOR: And how did you get here?  
BILL: I don't... I, I can't  
DOCTOR: You can't remember. No, I bet you can't. (He scans her again.)  
DOCTOR 1: That device. What is it?  
DOCTOR: It's a sonic screwdriver.  
DOCTOR 1: A, a what screwdriver?  
DOCTOR: It's really a very good job.  
DOCTOR 1: An audio screwdriver?**

"You didn't have your sonic back then?" Martha asked the Doctor, mostly entertained by what she had seen so far.

"No, not back then."

**DOCTOR: There are only three low-key markers indicating that she's a duplicate.  
BILL: I'm not a duplicate!  
DOCTOR: So, who has been stealing the faces of the dead?  
(The Doctors walk up the stairs to some very advanced technology.)  
DOCTOR 1: Time travel technology, eh? Obviously.  
DOCTOR: From the far future.  
DOCTOR 1: I know. Sunglasses?  
DOCTOR: They're sonic.  
DOCTOR 1: Indoors?**

"That's new." Rose remarked, trying to determine what she thought. A few other companions laughed. River shook her head exasperated with her husband/wife.

**(Flash. The Glass Woman appears.)  
DOCTOR: So, what are you?  
GLASS WOMAN: We are what awaits at the end of every life. As every living soul dies, so we will appear. We take from you what we need and return you to the moment of your death. We are Testimony.  
(All the archways light up. Very Tomb of the Cybermen.)  
DOCTOR: You come from the distant future. You travel back in time, find people at the exact point of death, and what, you harvest something from them?  
GLASS WOMAN: Yes.  
DOCTOR: On behalf of the dying, what is it that we have that the future needs so badly?  
DOCTOR 1: And what has any of this to do with a War World One Captain landing at the South Pole in the wrong decade?  
GLASS WOMAN: We were returning him to the appointed time and place of his death. An error in the timeline ejected him into the wrong time zone. Now his death must proceed as history demands.  
DOCTOR 1: If I may.  
(He peers at her through his monocle.)**

That drew laughter from the companions. It was entertaining to see how the two Doctor reacted to things differently.

**DOCTOR 1: Who were you?  
DOCTOR: She wasn't anyone.  
(Sonic screwdriver.)  
DOCTOR: She's a computer-generated interface, connected to a multiform, inter-phasing data-bank.  
DOCTOR 1: Oh, for heaven's sake, will you put that ridiculous buzzing toy away and look at the woman! You see? Her face, it's very slightly asymmetrical. If it were computer generated, it wouldn't produce that effect.  
DOCTOR: Yes. You're absolutely right. I should have noticed that.  
DOCTOR 1: Well, it might help if you could see properly.**

"Do you ever stop fighting with yourself?" Clara sighed exasperated while the other companions laughed a bit at the two Doctors.

**(He removes the sonic glasses and drops them on the floor. The Captain comes out of the Tardis.)  
CAPTAIN: Er, excuse me! Doctor?  
DOCTOR: Get back inside.  
CAPTAIN: I'm not quite sure, but it seemed to me that this young lady's life was being offered in exchange for my own. As it happens, I think my number is pretty much up anyway.  
BILL: What are you talking about? Doctor, what's he talking about?  
CAPTAIN: So, might as well make it count for something, eh? I should be happy to take your place, if that would resolve this situation.**

"That's very brave of him." Amy stated, drawing nods from the others around the room.

"Yes, he was. It runs in his family." The Doctor added grinning when everyone looked at her confused.

**GLASS WOMAN: Accepted.  
BILL: That is, that is not happening. That's totally not happening. Agreed?  
DOCTOR: Tell me what to do, then. Bill Potts would tell me what to do.  
BILL: Do what you always do. Serve at the pleasure of the human race.**

The Master raised an eyebrow, turning to meet the Doctor's questioning gaze. _"Serve the humans? Why? You are so much above them."_ He used their telepathy to ask his questions.

" _I am not above them. I like them. I do it to save my friends and all the innocents. They don't deserve to die."_ A few of the others watched the two best enemies who seemed to be having a mental conversation, only a few of them realising how true that thought was.

**DOCTOR: Here's what's going to happen. First, I'm going to escape. You, with me.  
DOCTOR 1: Where are we going?  
GLASS WOMAN: Escape is not possible.  
DOCTOR: It is possible, and it is happening, and I'm taking Bill and the Captain with me.  
DOCTOR 1: Why are you advertising your intentions? Can't you stop boasting for a moment?  
DOCTOR: Mister Pastry, too. I could do with a laugh.**

The companions laughed at the way the two incarnations of the Doctor interacted and the complete confusion of the younger Doctor.

**(Trivia - Mr Pastry aka Richard Hearne was interviewed to be the 4th Doctor.)  
GLASS WOMAN: Escape is not possible.  
DOCTOR: Oh, I'm going to do way more than escape. I'm going to find out who you are and what you're doing, and if I don't like it, I will come back and I will stop you. I will stop all of you!**

The companions grinned. No matter the face the Doctor didn't change too much. How they dealt with situations like this were ultimately similar. It was good to see them back to themselves, stopping evil plans.

**DOCTOR 1: Who the hell do you think you are?  
DOCTOR: The Doctor.  
DOCTOR 1: ** _**I** _ **am the Doctor. Who you are, I cannot begin to imagine.  
GLASS WOMAN: Then let us show you, Doctor. See who you will become.  
DAVROS: Doctor!  
DALEK: Exterminate!  
CYBERMAN: You will be assimilated.  
(Images of past Doctors fly around in bubbles, including the War Doctor.)  
DOCTOR: No, no, that's not a good idea.  
DOCTOR 10 [OC]: They all died.  
GLASS WOMAN: The Doctor has walked in blood through all of time and space. The Doctor has many names.  
DAVROS [OC]: The Destroyer of Worlds.  
GLASS WOMAN: The Imp of the Pandorica. The Shadow of the Valeyard. The Beast of Trenzalore. The Butcher of Skull Moon. The Last Tree of Garsennon. The Destroyer of Skaro. He is the Doctor of War.  
(The images disappear.)**

"That's a lot of names, Doc." Graham said. The Doctor frowned as everyone watched her. She hated to be reminded of everything she had done. No one wanted to break the tension and ask her, some of them knew where some of the names came from but there was so many they didn't know about. River watched worried, she knew where most of the names came from and the way this episode was going was worrying her. This whole thing with the Tardis bringing them here was worrying.

**DOCTOR 1: What, what was that?  
DOCTOR: To be fair, they cut out all the jokes. Do what I do when I do it.**

There was a splutter of laughter as the companions all remembered some of the funny moments over all their adventures. There was an edge though, most of them knew the Doctor used humour to cover up their issues and when they were hurt.

**(The sonic screwdriver opens the hatch beneath the Tardis. Then the Doctor sonicks the winches to set the chains on the clamps holding the Tardis unwinding.)  
DOCTOR: Jump!  
(They all grab a chain each and descend towards Antarctica.)  
GLASS WOMAN: They are not escaping.**

The Doctor grinned, glad for the distraction. "Yes, we are."

**[Antarctica]**

**(Their progress comes to a sudden halt. They slither down the chains to the Tardis.)  
DOCTOR: Jump!  
(They do. The Tardis was only a couple of feet off the ground. It starts to rise again.)  
BILL: What do we do now?  
DOCTOR: Run!  
BILL: Where? They've got the Tardis.  
DOCTOR: Yes, that's exactly what they're supposed to think.  
BILL: But they do though. Look.  
DOCTOR: They've got ** _**my** _ **Tardis. Over to you, Mary Berry.**

"Nice plan." Jack nodded, grinning.

**DOCTOR 1: Come on.  
(The Tardis is back in the spaceship. Meanwhile, a lot less than 70 feet away -)  
BILL: Doctor, is that another Tardis?  
DOCTOR: No. No. It's another of the same Tardis.  
BILL: Hang on, the windows are the wrong size.  
DOCTOR: Inside, quickly!**

**[Console room]**

**(A proper one, all white and gleaming roundels with a label saying Bernard Wilkie next to the door mechanism lever as homage to a special effects man from the early days.)  
DOCTOR: Take off, now! Deep space, anywhere.**

"Woah, that's white and clean. What happened to it?" Martha asked. The rest of the companions were taking in the sight of the TARDIS shocked. It was nothing like the TARDIS they all knew.

"That's what she looked like when I first stole her. She gained some personality of her own since then. Desktop has changed a lot." The Doctor grinned. She really loved her TARDIS.

**(The Tardis whizzes along the Vortex.)  
CAPTAIN: I tell you what. These police boxes, they're ever so good, aren't they?  
DOCTOR 1: The navigation systems don't function properly. I'm unable to programme our flight with any accuracy. So, my dear, I presume you travel with him.  
BILL: Used to. Kind of miss it.  
DOCTOR 1: Well, he clearly misses you. That ship of his is in dire need of a good spring clean.  
DOCTOR: No, no, no, stop, stop, stop talking. Look, look, look. Oh, look at the, look at the astral map. Look at all the lovely blinking lights. Look at that.  
BILL: He's you. He is, isn't he? He's you. He's one of your old faces.  
CAPTAIN: I'm find I'm lagging behind a tiny bit again. You**

"You keep confusing the poor man. He's had traumatic enough a day as it is. Honestly Spaceman you're a right Martian sometimes." Donna sighed exasperated. A few companions nodded in agreement with small smiles.

**(The Doctor puts on his sonic shades.)  
DOCTOR 1: Not those again. I forbid it!  
(The Doctor sonicks up an image of the Glass Woman up on the Time and Space Visualiser.)  
DOCTOR; There you go, I was right. Asymmetrical.  
DOCTOR 1: I said that.  
DOCTOR: Same difference.  
(The Doctor puts the shades on his ancestor, who staggers slightly.)  
DOCTOR: If her face was based on a human original, perhaps identifying who that was will tell us what we need to know about Testimony.  
DOCTOR 1: Why am I wearing these?  
DOCTOR: Because I love it. Never take those off.  
DOCTOR 1: What's browser history?  
(The Doctor quickly retrieves his shades.)**

"What dirty secrets are you hiding Doctor?" Jack grinned suggestively, happy to have a break from the tension. She rolled her eyes at him, no matter how long it had been he never changed. Most of the companions laughed seeing his first face wearing the sunglasses. Even the Master broke a small smile that he managed to hide from (almost) everyone. It was a long time since he had seen the first incarnation of the Doctor, the face he had grown up and, although he would never admit it, he was feeling slightly nostalgic.

**DOCTOR: I'm trying to match her face in the Tardis data bank, but there's hardly anything in it yet. We need a bigger database. Possibly the Matrix on Gallifrey. No. We need something bigger than the Matrix.**

The Doctor frowned; she wouldn't have wanted to go back to Gallifrey anyway. It was too complicated with two of them and who knows what her reception would have been with how she had run off with Clara last time. That's to say she found it before the Master had destroyed it.

**[Chamber of the Dead]**

**CAPTAIN [on screen] So basically, we're trying to track the Glass Lady, yes?  
BILL [on screen]: Basically.  
CAPTAIN [on screen]: A striking looking creature.**

**[Console room]**

**CAPTAIN: Quite beautiful, really, isn't she?  
BILL; Yeah, if you like ladies made of glass.  
DOCTOR 1: Well, aren't all ladies made of glass, in a way? (laughs)  
CAPTAIN: (laughs) Very good, sir, very good.  
BILL: Are we now?  
DOCTOR 1: Oh, my dear. I hope it doesn't offend you to know that I have some experience of the er, fairer sex.  
BILL: Me too.  
CAPTAIN: Good Lord.**

"You're into girls?" Clara asked.

Bill shuffled uncomfortable and nervous about where this conversation was going but answered in the positive. She got a reassuring nod from the Doctor which put her a bit more at ease, surely her friends couldn't be all too bad.

"Cool, I'm Bi. It's nice to have allies here." Clara smiled at the younger girl; she had a feeling they would be good friends. After all they had both dealt with Eyebrows.

"Same here. I mean I'm Bi too." Yaz spoke up, drawing a shocked glance from Ryan and Graham. "What?"

"No. no. Nothing wrong with that love. Should have known." Graham smiled at her while Ryan nodded frantically, trying not to offend her or give the wrong impression.

"You don't have anything to worry about. Jack will flirt and sleep with just about everything. No one will get judged for anything like that here." The Doctor pointed to Jack who grinned widely winking at the three girls. Around the room the other companions nodded and smiled, some of them weren't exactly straight and none of them had anything against anyone who wasn't. Clara, Bill and Yaz grinned at each other and shared a mental thought of having a proper conversation later.

"And I still can't get you, Doc. I think I even bought you that drink at one point." Jack flirted drawing an eyeroll from the Doctor who was also doing nothing to hide her smile.

"Back off my wife Harkness." River threatened. Jack put his hands up in mock surrender but winked at both of the married pair.

**(The Time Rotor stops and the door opens.)  
BILL: Where are we?  
DOCTOR 1: But you steered the ship, you piloted her perfectly. We are at the very centre of the universe.  
(Looking out on a scene of devastation, including a moon with a hole blasted in it.)**

"Even you look so confused that you managed to land where you meant to. I think that tells you something Doctor." Rose teased while the others laughed.

"Hey! I can drive perfectly well thank you very much." The Doctor huffed.

River and the Master were laughing the loudest. "Sweetie, you leave the brakes on constantly." River pointed out.

"I like the noise! It needs to make the noise! Besides, the TARDIS and I have an agreement she doesn't always take me where I want to go but she always takes me where I need to be."

The Master chuckled. "You are still terrible. How many times did you fail your TARDIS driving test? Four, five, six, more?"

"Wait she failed? How many times did it take her to pass?!" Mickey spluttered. The others were watching and laughing, interested in the answer.

The Master laughed harder. "She didn't. Plus, she stole a Type 40 TARDIS, one from a museum whose navigation system was broken." He was enjoying embarrassing the Doctor, even if it was to her little pets.

"Hey! I drive perfectly well on my own. It's supposed to have six pilots and I've learnt how to drive over the millennia. She's perfect the way she is!" The Doctor tried to explain amongst her laughing companions.

"That explains so much Doc." Graham chuckled. It took a while for them all to calm down.

**DOCTOR: Out there is the most comprehensive database of all life anywhere. There is just one little problem.  
BILL: Which is?  
DOCTOR: It wants to kill me.**

"Doesn't everything." The Doctor sighed. The others laughed at her but they knew it was true. Most things that knew the Doctor either loved her or wanted to kill her. She was a bit like marmite in that sense.

**[Villengard]**

**(Something screeches amongst the wreckage.)  
DOCTOR: The Weapon Forges of Villengard. Once the nightmare of the seven galaxies, now home to the dispossessed.  
CAPTAIN: I say, I think there's something moving over here.  
DOCTOR 1: Step away, please.  
CAPTAIN: Probably just rats. I'm used to rats.  
(Something leaps onto his face. Shades of Alien. The Doctor sonicks it, and it runs off on multiple little green legs.)  
DOCTOR: Deep breaths, deep breaths. Just breathe, Captain, you'll be fine.  
DOCTOR 1: That creature, it looked familiar.  
DOCTOR: It's mutated a bit, but yes, I should think it did.**

"Doctor is that what I think it is?" Martha asked wide eyed.

"If you are thinking about the sewers in Manhattan than yes, kind of." The Doctor said matter of fact, mouth pulled into a grimace. The others watched the exchange, curious and worried but with no idea what they were talking about. Mickey thought it sounded familiar, his wife had probably told him about it at some point but he couldn't place it.

**DOCTOR 1: Come along, my dear chap. You'll be fine.  
DOCTOR: Get him into the Tardis.  
BILL: What are those things?  
DOCTOR: What we came here for. The biggest database in the galaxy. They'll settle down in a moment.  
(There are hordes of the brains on tentacles scurrying around.)  
BILL: So, do we talk to them, ask them questions? How does it work?  
DOCTOR: We don't do anything. I do.  
BILL: Oh no, no, no, no, no, no!  
DOCTOR: You're going to wait in the Tardis.  
BILL: Why?  
DOCTOR: Because you need to look after the Captain.  
BILL: You're lying. You think I'm a duplicate, a trick.  
DOCTOR: I don't know what I think. But if there's the slightest chance that Bill Potts is alive and standing in front of me, then I will not, under any circumstances, put her life in danger again.**

"Doctor." Bill looked at her, eyes wide and sad.

"No Bill, I failed to protect you the first time, if there was any chance that really was you there was no way I was letting you get hurt again." She glanced at Clara before finishing. "I have a duty of care."

**BILL: Seriously. You're looking right at me and you don't even know I'm here.  
DOCTOR: Correct. I ask you to respect that, and respect me.  
BILL: You're an arse. Do you know that? You, you, you, you're a stupid bloody arse.  
DOCTOR: As I have always respected you.  
(The first Doctor opens the Tardis door and looks at Bill.)  
DOCTOR 1: If I hear any more language like that from you, young lady, you're in for a jolly good smacked bottom.  
(And goes back inside.)  
DOCTOR: Can we just pretend that that never happened?  
BILL: I'm a broad-minded girl. I mean, I know we have this whole professor - student thing going on.  
DOCTOR: Can we just never, ever talk about this again?  
BILL: I hope we talk about it loads. I hope we spend years laughing about it. Come back alive.  
DOCTOR: Be here when I do.**

Bill offered a warm understanding smile to the Doctor. It may not have actually been her but she appreciated the Doctor trying to protect her. Even if he/she was still a stubborn idiot.

**[Console room]**

**(The first Doctor opens up that roundel again.)  
DOCTOR 1: Perhaps another nip of brandy?  
(The decanter has a lot more in it here, of course.)  
DOCTOR 1: Hmm. So that's where it went.  
(The Captain is slumped in the chair.)  
BILL: I'll look after him.  
DOCTOR 1: Good girl, quite right. Now, young lady, I don't want to have to repeat myself.  
BILL: I don't think any of us want that.  
DOCTOR 1: I'll see you both presently.  
(The first Doctor leaves the Tardis.)  
BILL: Brandy?  
CAPTAIN: Please.  
(But when Bill reaches for the decanter, we see a glass hand.)**

"She's one of those things!" Rory pointed out nervous. The others watched scared for what was going to happen. The Doctor smiled sadly. Part of her was glad they were concerned but the rest of her didn't believe she deserved it.

**[Villengard]**

**(The 1st Doctor has caught up with the 12th very quickly.)  
DOCTOR 1: These creatures. What are they?  
DOCTOR: Old friends of ours, but they've really come out of their shell.  
DOCTOR 1: Out of their shell?**

The Master looked at her with a look that could almost be mistaken for concern. She shrugged at him; he was right in what they were but he would find out what happens like the others. River had also worked it out and was watching her worriedly.

**(The Doctor gasps and leans on some rubble.)  
DOCTOR 1: Are you all right?  
DOCTOR: I'll be, I'll be fine in a moment.  
DOCTOR 1: What's the matter?  
DOCTOR: I died a few hours ago, then I refused to regenerate. It catches up with you. You know, it's like a big lunch.  
DOCTOR 1: I did exactly the same.  
DOCTOR: I know you did. But why? I don't remember this. Why are you refusing the regeneration?  
DOCTOR 1: Fear. I'm afraid. Very, very afraid. I don't normally admit that to anyone else.  
DOCTOR: Don't worry. Technically, you still haven't.**

"Well, you have now Spaceman. It's alright to be scared you know, you're dying." Donna tried to comfort the Doctor who was watching the screen blankly. She didn't like the reminders of everything.

"I've died a lot of times." She muttered vaguely.

"That doesn't ever make it easier Doctor." Jack spoke softly for once. She failed to supress an angry snort, of course he would be the one to know.

**DOCTOR 1: Why are you?  
(Laser bolts are fired from a tall creeper-covered building to a point near them. They run.)  
DOCTOR 1: There's something in that tower!  
DOCTOR: Must be my friend.  
DOCTOR 1: Why do you call him your friend?  
DOCTOR: He's got a great big gun. Are you suggesting I insult him? (runs into a beam of light) Just scan me. Go on, scan me. Because I've got big news for you. I'm dying.**

"You normally don't worry about that when you insult people. Have you finally gained some common sense?" Amy asked shocked and disbelieving. Clara, Bill and Nardole laughed shaking her head. She looked betrayed, then turned pleadingly to her fam. They shrugged before shaking their heads too. She put a hand to one of her hearts in mock offense.

**(The laser bolts stop and a scanning line runs up and down the Doctor's body.)  
DOCTOR: You see, it's true. Dying. Now, be honest with yourself. Wouldn't you like to see that up close?  
(The light goes out and door at the bottom of the tower opens.)  
DOCTOR: Come on. Up and at 'em, Corporal Jones.**

**[Console room]**

**(The Captain's hand are shaking.)  
CAPTAIN: Funny thing. I wasn't afraid in the crater. One doesn't want to die, of course, but one gets in a certain frame of mind, one pulls oneself together, and gets on with the matter in hand. Big shock for everyone back in Cromer, of course.  
BILL [OC]: You have family?  
CAPTAIN: My wife will miss me. That's perfectly natural. But she's a solid woman, remarkably solid, and my boys. Well, sons are supposed to move on from their fathers. It's the proper way.  
BILL [OC]: Of course.  
CAPTAIN: Trouble is, I thought I'd been rescued. It felt rather like a miracle, in fact. But I do have this feeling they're going to put me back. Back in that crater in time to die. And you see, I'm not ready any more. I've lost the idea of it. That's the trouble with hope. Makes one awfully frightened. (laughs) I must sound like the most dreadful coward.  
(Then he looks up and sees the Glass Woman.)**

"Oh no."

**[Villengard]**

**DOCTOR: Okay, I'd better go up alone.  
DOCTOR 1: I won't hear of it.  
DOCTOR: That thing up there won't miss the chance to kill me twice. The paradox would rip the universe apart, and you know how much hard work it is putting it back together again. You keep a lookout down here.  
DOCTOR 1: Oh, if you insist.  
(So he investigates a shaking bush where something is also beeping. The Glass Woman comes out of the Tardis and walks towards him.)**

Everyone was watching nervous for both the Doctors despite knowing she was here safe with them. A few were curious about the paradox ripping apart the universe and putting it back together comment but decided not to ask, they would probably be shown if it was important.

**[Tower]**

**DOCTOR: You know what? You're a bit of a legend these days, but not everyone believes it. People don't think that it could happen. That someone like you could turn against your own kind, because your kind don't do that.**

**[Villengard]**

**DOCTOR 1: Out of their shells.  
(He is holding a Dalek eye stalk as the Glass Woman comes up behind him.)**

Everyone had worked it out at this point and were looking even more worriedly at the screen. The Doctor was alive and with them but they were still worried, she had a habit of getting herself into trouble and hurt.

**[Tower]**

**DOCTOR: Because people don't believe there could be any such thing as a good Dalek.  
(See ** **Into the Dalek** **.)  
RUSTY: I am not a good Dalek. You are a good Dalek.  
(Rusty fires at him but just misses. He hides behind the doorway.)**

**[Villengard]**

**(The original, holding a piece of Dalek casing, turns round to see human Bill.)  
DOCTOR 1: Oh. Hello, my dear.**

**[Tower]**

**DOCTOR: Now, Rusty, you know that I'm dying, and if you don't want me to go off and die somewhere else where you can't watch, you're going to have to stop shooting at me.**

"Rusty? Our Rusty?" Clara asked looking at the Doctor for confirmation.

"Rusty? You know it?" Jack asked incredulous. The others shared the same expression.

"Yes, we had a little trip inside him. He's a good Dalek, or as good as they can be. He's not the first good or okay Dalek I've met but the others are all dead I think." The Doctor answered knowing they wouldn't get any further if she didn't answer.

**RUSTY: I agree to your terms.  
DOCTOR: Well, I'm going to need some proof.  
(Rusty's weapon stalk slides along the floor to his feet. The Doctor enters Rusty's chamber, where the Dalek is linked to computer banks by glowing cables.)  
DOCTOR: You know what? You are the very first Dalek that ever got naked for me.**

"It disarmed itself? They never do that." River watched the screen; face crinkled in confusion and worry.

"It knows me and was interested in finding out why I was there. Like I said, Rusty's a good Dalek. Besides, he figured he could get something out of it." The Doctor shrugged, sending a reassuring smile to her wife.

**[Villengard]**

**BILL: You're the first one, yeah? Like, the original version of the Doctor.**

The Doctor refused to acknowledge the look she got from the Master at that comment. Both now knew that wasn't her first face.

**DOCTOR 1: My dear, you should get back to the ship. This place isn't safe.  
BILL: You're the one who stole the Tardis and ran away.  
DOCTOR 1: The Captain might be needing you.  
BILL: Nah, the Captain's fine. Why did you do it?  
DOCTOR 1: Oh, I'm sure your Doctor has explained.  
BILL: I'm not even sure he remembers.  
DOCTOR 1: There were many pressing reasons.  
BILL: I don't mean what you ran away from. What were you running to?  
DOCTOR 1: That's rather a good question.  
BILL: Questions are kind of my thing. How are you with answers?**

The Doctor smiled at Bill, she missed having her around both as her friend and as her student. Bill asked great questions and not always the ones she expected. She was also curious about the conversation; her memories were still a bit blurry on it because of it being so long ago and the fact there was two of them around.

**[Tower]**

**DOCTOR: It's been a long time. Remember the good old days, when I got miniaturised and I climbed around inside you?  
RUSTY: You taught me to hate the Daleks.  
DOCTOR: Billions of years ago. What have you been up to since then?  
RUSTY: Destroying Daleks.  
DOCTOR: Yes, all the ones who come here to murder you. Yes, I saw the mess outside.  
RUSTY: Why are you here?  
DOCTOR: As a Dalek, you are linked in to the Dalek hive mind. All Daleks are. Biggest database I know. I'd like to access it.  
RUSTY: Why would I help you?  
DOCTOR: Because helping me, in any way, does something wonderful. It hurts the Daleks.**

"He's really a good Dalek?" Rose asked. The last time she had seen a supposed 'good' Dalek was also the first one she had ever met one and they had destroyed themselves after killing hundreds of people.

The Doctor shrugged. "About as good as they get. Rusty kills any Daleks that get near them." She looked at the Ponds and Clara. "He would probably fit in at the Asylum."

**[Villengard]**

**DOCTOR 1: There is good and there is evil. I left Gallifrey to answer a question of my own. By any analysis, evil should always win. Good is not a practical survival strategy. It requires loyalty, self-sacrifice and er, love. So, why does good prevail? What keeps the balance between good and evil in this appalling universe? Is there some kind of logic? Some mysterious force?**

"Is that really why you left?" Donna asked, for once soft in a kind of maternal way glancing at the Doctor. This video was worrying her. As was the whole manner of the Doctor, it reminded her too much of how she (then he) had been after the trouble on Midnight.

"Part of it, there was many reasons and I have forgotten half of them at this point. I didn't ever really fit in. I just knew I needed to leave, and I wanted a new start for Susan." The Doctor sighed. She shot a quick look at the Master, maybe the knowledge, the belief that she needed to leave was because of her past.

**BILL: Perhaps there's just a bloke.  
DOCTOR 1: A bloke?  
BILL: Yeah. Perhaps there's just some bloke, wandering around, putting everything right when it goes wrong.  
DOCTOR 1: Well, that would be a nice story, wouldn't it?  
BILL: That would be the best.  
DOCTOR 1: But the real world is not a fairy tale.  
BILL: You dash around the universe trying to figure out what's holding it all together, and you really, really don't know?  
DOCTOR 1: You know me in the future. Do I ever understand?  
BILL: No. I really don't think you do. Everyone who's ever met you does. You're amazing, Doctor. (hugs him) Never forget that. Never, ever.**

A round of nods and noises of agreements sounded throughout the room. They all agreed with what Bill had said, barring the Master, and were happily reminiscing on all their adventures. However, there was a tension lurking in the room, as much as they wanted to none of them could forget what this video was about – the Doctor was refusing to regenerate.

**DOCTOR 1: Well, that's very kind of you.  
BILL: We just needed to understand you, Doctor.  
(Behind his back, her arms are glass.)**

**[Tower]**

**(The Dalek database has come up with a person, which is being projected from Rusty's eye stalk.)  
DOCTOR: Professor Helen Clay, University Of New Earth, year five billion and twelve. There's footage. Can you run it?**

**[Villengard]**

**DOCTOR 1: A spy. A spy in the camp.  
BILL: No, not a spy. I'm Bill Potts, but I'm part of Testimony now.**

**[Tower]**

**HELEN [projection]: The Testimony Foundation combines the resources of time travel, with the latest in memory extraction techniques. The near-dead can be lifted momentarily from their time streams, their memories duplicated, and then their physical selves returned to the moment of their dissolution without pain, distress or any recall of the process. Now the dead can speak again. We can hear the testimony of the past, and channelled through our glass avatars, they can walk among us again. This is Heaven on New Earth.  
DOCTOR: Oh, it's not an evil plan. I don't really know what to do when it isn't an evil plan. Why did you stop it? Rusty?**

"That's a very rare occurrence with you. Somehow you always seem to find trouble in the most normal of situations." Martha laughed alongside the rest of the companions at the Doctor's disbelief.

"I guess it was going to happen one of these days." Amy joked smiling at the other woman, they hadn't had much time to really talk much between each other but had all knew the Doctor and had travelled with him so they had to be good people.

**DOCTOR 1: He didn't stop it. They've frozen Time again.  
DOCTOR: Who has?  
GLASS WOMAN: Not everything's evil, Doctor.  
(She has stepped out of the projection of Helen, and morphs into -)  
BILL: You're not the only kind one in the universe.  
DOCTOR: I knew you weren't real.  
BILL: Oh, shut up and stop being so stupid. Of course I'm real. What is anyone supposed to be except a bunch of memories? These are my memories, so this is me. I'm Bill Potts, and I'm back, and so long as I'm here, what the hell do you mean, you're not going to regenerate?**

The companions were all trying really hard not to stare at the Doctor, shooting her concerned glances instead. It was Rory that broke the tense silence. "Why were you regenerating anyway, what happened?"

The Doctor grimaced, looking between Bill, Nardole and the Master, the only ones who had any kind of idea what was going on. She had just about gathered the courage to answer but Bill beat her to it. "We were on the ship escaping a blackhole. Me, the Doctor, Nardole, Missy and the Master (yes there was two of them, long story). The Master was trying to create an army of Cybermen and I was converted but retained myself. The Doctor messed up their plot, as usual, and they fled with us. We were trying to protect the last group of people but both the Master and Missy ran off and Nardole managed to take the humans to safety. The Doctor and I were left fighting the Cybermen. The idiot blew them up, but blew himself up alongside them. My friend Heather, who is the Pilot – long story, don't ask – saved me and we saved the Doctor, returning him to the TARDIS. When I left, I was unsure whether he was even alive." Bill rambled sadness permeating from her as she rambled trying to explain the situation. The others listened trying to understand and take in what had been said.

"Ran off? Ran off? You don't even know." The Master shouted angrily, glaring wide eyed at the Doctor. He was breathing heavily before he went wide eyed and started laughing edging into hysterics. "Of course, you don't know. So readily believing the worst, I bet you didn't ever really believe I would change."

"Don't know what? You left me. I begged you to stay with me and you ran off with your younger self! Of course, I believed you! I always believe you because I am an idiot, a hopeful idiot who misses her friend! Even though you keep hurting me and the people I care about." The Doctor shouted angry and desperate to understand. They had both avoided talking about Missy in all their interactions since, she needed to know what had happened.

"I killed the younger-me, so he would regenerate into me and I was coming back. I was going to stand with you. Younger-me didn't agree with my decision and shot me with his laser screwdriver. He thought he killed me with no regenerations but I had put protections into my corset. I lay there for ages, waiting for you to find me!" He was angry again, shouting at her while the others watched confused and worried. "Eventually, I managed to crawl away and found a way of that infernal ship." He paused for a moment before finishing with a hoarse whisper. "I was going to stand with you. Without hope. Without witness. Without reward."

She gaped at him, speechless unsure of what to say and unable to say anything. Eventually she managed to choke out, "I didn't know."

He shot her with a blank glare. "Of course, you didn't. You never do. You so readily believed I had betrayed you. What did you think the knife was for?"

"I thought you were threatening me like normal! What did you expect me to think? I begged you to stay so you take my hand and press a knife against my arm. Why would I think you were going to stab your younger self? You're usually all about self-preservation and survival. Besides I couldn't exactly come to save you seeing as I was dying at the time too!" She wasn't even sure if she was trying to beg for forgiveness or to shout angrily at him anymore. She watched him carefully looking for any sort of tells of what he was thinking. Nothing. She swallowed and turned determinedly away from him and back to the screen.

The companions shared a look, but didn't say anything and allowed the video to continue. The drama between the Time Lords was dangerous to try and get between on a normal day, with both of them being this emotionally charged in a small space together – they had no hope of staying out of it.

**DOCTOR: There has to be an end, Bill, for everyone, everywhere.  
BILL: What about the Captain? You know he has to die at his allotted point in time and space to correct the error.  
DOCTOR: I'm so tired of losing people. If the Captain has to die, a request. This was our fault.  
DOCTOR 1: How so?  
DOCTOR: Let us take him back.**

"You have a plan, right? You're not just going to take him back to his death? Right, Doc?" Graham asked worried, breaking the tense atmosphere that had settled after the explosive argument between the two Time Lords.

"Just watch Graham, it will be okay I promise." She sighed. She was so tired of everything and it was only going to get worse.

**(Two Tardises travelling in space.)  
DOCTOR 1 [OC]: How was this our fault?  
DOCTOR [OC]: You and me tried to die twice in the same lifetime. Our lives are woven throughout time and space. We caused the timeline error that put the Captain in the wrong place. We created a whirlpool in time that landed him at our feet.  
DOCTOR 1 [OC]: But why him? What's so important about one Captain?  
DOCTOR [OC]: Everybody's important to somebody, somewhere.**

The companions all glanced at the Doctor and then their own friends/family in the room. The Doctor's words rang true in all their heads. Some of them were remembering when she had said similar things around them.

**[Tardis]**

**DOCTOR: Are you all right?  
CAPTAIN: Yes, fine, absolutely. Just thinking. I told the wife I'd be home for Christmas. Funny how things work out.  
(The Doctor sets the Time Rotor going.)**

**[Ypres 1914]**

**(Two Tardises materialise side by side next to the crater. Nice trick given that the 1st Doctor can't steer his. The Doctor helps the Captain back down the slope to his position opposite the frightened German.)  
CAPTAIN: Thank you. Thank you all. You've all been most gracious in the unfortunate circumstances.  
DOCTOR 1: I regret, Captain, that the universe generally fails to be a fairy tale.  
GLASS WOMAN: When time resumes, you will not remember this. A perception filter will also render us invisible.  
CAPTAIN: Yes. One imagines some of those words were attached to actual meanings of some sort. One thing you could possibly do for me, if you were very kind?  
DOCTOR: Oh, anything. Name it.  
CAPTAIN: My family. Perhaps you could look in on them, from time to time?  
DOCTOR 1: We should be delighted. What's the name?  
CAPTAIN: Lethbridge-Stewart. Captain Archibald Hamish Lethbridge-Stewart.  
DOCTOR 1: I shall make it my business.  
DOCTOR: You can trust him on that.**

"He's Kate's grandfather? Or Great-grandfather?" Clara asked, blinking at the screen shocked.

"Yes, I think so. Funny how things turn out isn't it. I've met three generations of Lethbridge-Stewarts and they are all brave and amazing people." The Doctor smiled sadly remembering her dear friend and then cheered up a bit more happily thinking about Kate. She should really say hello to her and the Osgoods in this face, that may surprise them for once. Although there was that problem with the withdrawal of funding for UNIT.

**CAPTAIN: Thank you so much. I believe I am now ready.  
(He sits and points his pistol at the German. The Glass Woman vanishes and Time restarts.)  
GERMAN SOLDIER: Das ist verruckt. Ich will dir nicht wehtun.  
(That's crazy. I don't want to hurt you.)  
CAPTAIN: :Cold, isn't it? It's about to get colder, I suppose, for one of us.  
(Fingers tighten on triggers, then -)  
GERMANS: ** **Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht. Alles schlaft, einsam wacht.** **  
CAPTAIN: I say, is that singing?**

"What's going on?" Mickey questioned. Despite his confusion a smile made its way onto his face. A few companions had a sneaking suspicion of what was going on and started to smile.

**GERMANS:** **hochheilige Paar Holder Knabe im lockigen Haar. Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh! Schlaf in himmlischer** **  
CAPTAIN: Is that Christmas carols?  
BRITISH: ** **Silent night, holy night. All is calm, all is bright. Round yon Virgin Mother and Child.** **  
CAPTAIN: You know, I could swear it's coming from both sides.  
DOCTOR: If I've got my timings right, and clearly I have, then we should be right at the beginning.  
(Soldiers come out of their trenches with white flags, still singing.)  
DOCTOR: I adjusted the time frame, only by a couple of hours. Any other day it wouldn't make any difference, but this is Christmas 1914, and a human miracle is about to happen. The Christmas Armistice.**

Now everyone was grinning. Of course, the Doctor had managed to save him. That's what she did. What they all did.

**(The Captain puts his pistol away.)  
CAPTAIN: Wounded man here!  
(He blows his whistle and stands up.)  
CAPTAIN: Wounded man here! Wounded man!  
DOCTOR: It never happened again, any war, anywhere.  
CAPTAIN: I say, wounded man here. Wounded man!  
(Stretcher bearers from both sides go out into no-man's-land.)  
DOCTOR: But for one day, one Christmas, a very long time ago, everyone just put down their weapons, and started to sing. Everybody just stopped. Everyone was just kind.  
DOCTOR 1: You've saved him.  
DOCTOR: Both of them. Never hurts, a couple fewer dead people on the battlefield.  
DOCTOR 1: So that's what it means to be a doctor of war.  
DOCTOR: You were right, you know. The universe generally fails to be a fairy tale. But that's where we come in.**

"So, you know then? You understand? The impact you have on people. You save so many Doctor." River spoke softly but hopeful. The others watched the Doctor with a similar expression, sometimes she could be such an idiot and didn't understand what she meant to people and the universe.

"It's never enough." The Doctor muttered quietly enough that most didn't hear and simply accepted her silence as a sign to move on.

**(The famous football kick-about has started.)  
SOLDIERS: ** **For auld lang syne, my dear. For auld lang syne. We'll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne. For auld lang syne, my dear. For auld lang syne. We'll take a cup of kindness yet, For auld lang syne.** **  
(As the soldiers shake hands with their opposite numbers, the two Doctors also shake hands. Their regeneration energy flares.)  
DOCTOR 1: I think I'm ready now. But I should like to know, are you?  
DOCTOR: You'll find out. The long way round.  
DOCTOR 1: Whatever you decide, good luck, Doctor.  
DOCTOR: Goodbye, Doctor.  
(The first Doctor walks away. The Doctor picks up a tin cup and takes a drink. The Captain notices. The Doctor raises the cup in salute, and the Captain salutes him in return.)**

**[Console room]**

**(The Tardis dematerialises.)  
DOCTOR 1: Well then, here we go. The long way round.  
(Fade into black and white, 4:3 ratio, ready for William Hartnell's regeneration into Patrick Troughton.)**

Everyone watched interested to see the Doctor's first regeneration and their second face.

**[Ypres 1914]**

**BILL: Are you okay?  
DOCTOR: Shall we go for one last stroll, Miss Potts?  
(The Christmas Armistice is coming to an end.)  
BILL: Do you know what the hardest thing about knowing you was?  
DOCTOR: My superior intelligence. My dazzling charisma. Oh! My impeccable dress sense.  
BILL: Letting you go. Letting go of the Doctor is so, so hard, isn't it?**

The rest of the companions that had already left, everyone barring the current three, nodded in agreement. Smiling sadly at the Doctor who glanced around at them with a soft smile. That was one of the hardest things for her as well, losing them. Even when they left to lead a happy life it was so hard.

**DOCTOR: You see, that's, that's, that's not the sort of thing the real Bill Potts would say.  
BILL: I am the real Bill! A life is just memories. I'm all her memories, so I'm her.  
DOCTOR: If you say so.  
BILL: Okay, I'm going to prove to you how important memories are. I've got a little goodbye present for you.  
DOCTOR: Oh, that's nice. Will I have to pretend I like it? Because honestly, that rug  
BILL: Oh, come here, you. (kiss on cheek)  
CLARA: Merry Christmas, Doctor.**

"That's me!" Clara stated shocked.

"Yes, in a way that's you. In the same way the other one is Bill." The Doctor smiled at Clara.

"Do you ever have a calm Christmas? I know you spent most when we knew you saving people." Rory queried out of the blue, having noticed Not-Clara's words rather than her appearance.

"I can't really remember one recently, mine usually end in an adventure; some better than others." The Doctor shrugged; her face scrunched up trying to think back to her last properly peaceful Christmas.

**DOCTOR: Clara.  
CLARA: Hello, you stupid old man.  
DOCTOR: You're back. You're in my head. All my memories are back.  
CLARA: And don't go forgetting me again, because, quite frankly, that was offensive.**

"So that's how you remembered?" It wasn't really a question, more a statement but the Doctor nodded.

"You forgot her? How did you forget her?" It was Donna, of course, who asked.

"There was a bad situation and we were too alike. It was dangerous. One of us needed to forget the other. Both had a 50/50 chance and in the end the Doctor was the one that lost his memories of me. I'm sure it will be explained properly at one point." Clara explained sadly. She was happy he remembered but sad it was when he was dying. And that he was dying alone.

**BILL: Memories. Important, right?  
NARDOLE: I know what you're thinking. Where is he? Hello, sir.  
DOCTOR: When you're already dying, you're entitled to think that your day couldn't get any worse, but here ** _**you** _ **are. And both of you are here. How does that work?**

"Oi! Be nice." Rose protested, sending a sharp glare at the Doctor who held her hands up in surrender, trying to hide her smile. Rose could be just like her mother at times and the Doctor was glad she wasn't in slapping distance.

**BILL: We can be everyone. We are everyone.  
NARDOLE: Yeah, it's good this, innit? Now I'm all made of glass, not just my nipples. Yeah, but they got my hair a bit wrong though, didn't they?  
BILL: You don't have any hair!  
NARDOLE: I have invisible hair. Got a suggestion for you, then.  
DOCTOR: Oh, there's a novelty.  
NARDOLE: Don't die. Because if you do, I think everybody in the universe might just go cold.**

The Doctor scoffed. All her companions turned to her in shock, did she really not know what she meant to the universe?

"Doctor, you may be female now but you're still a stupid old man. Do you not remember on Trenzalore? Do you know what Vastra told me how about that time the Great Intelligence was erasing your timeline?" Clara ensured the Doctor was actually looking into her eyes before continuing. "The stars were going out. Whole galaxies never existed, other destroyed. Jenny was dead and Strax tried to kill Vastra. All those people you've saved. You have to understand that, the universe needs you."

"She's right. Remember the Pandorica? There were no stars in the sky in that alternative timeline because the TARDIS exploded and destroyed the universe. Then when you fixed it you weren't there and it felt so wrong." Amy added desperately trying to get her friend/daughter-in-law to see.

"Doctor, I don't remember much of the world where I met Rose, with the weird thing on my back, but I know you died and I know the universe was so much worse off because of it." Donna smiled sadly at her.

"Doctor. Sweetie. The universe needs you. And even if it didn't, we need you. I need you. We're your friends, your family and we all love you, no matter your weird quirks or past. We love you. If you don't want to regenerate that's your choice but we love you." River pleaded down at the Doctor who was staring blankly at the floor.

Bill reached over and hugged the Doctor who collapsed into her arms, hiding her face. The others continued to watch worried. Clearly, she had regenerated in the end but she still had the same thoughts from the way she was acting. It suggested she wasn't in a good place mentally, so what had happened since then? What was so bad the TARDIS wanted them to see to help her?

**DOCTOR: Can't I ever have peace? Can't I rest?  
BILL: Of course you can.  
NARDOLE: It's your choice.  
BILL: Only yours.  
NARDOLE: We understand.  
DOCTOR: No. No, you don't. You're not even really here. You're just memories held in glass. Do you know how many of you I could fill? I would shatter you. My testimony would shatter all of you. A life this long, do you understand what it is? It's a battlefield, like this one, and it's empty. Because everyone else has fallen. Thank you. Thank you both, for everything that you were to me. What happens now, where I go now, it has be alone.**

" _You really weren't going to regenerate? You were just going to give up. That's even more cowardly than normal for you."_ The Master initiated contact without looking at her, his face deceptively blank.

" _I'm tired Master. I don't care if you think that's cowardly but I'm tired. You can't really say anything – you died in my arms to spite me. I can die if I want to die."_ She shot back mentally, keeping her face equally blank. None of the others needed to know.

" _No, you can't. Only I get to kill you! And I say you can't die yet. I have to be the one to break you and then destroy you. Don't you dare give up on me, I don't care how tired you are."_ She decided it was better to not acknowledge him, that was his way of expressing concern despite the slightly twisted mentality.

**(Bill hugs the Doctor. Nardole joins in.)  
NARDOLE: Cuddle.  
(Then they disappear.)  
DOCTOR: Time to leave the battlefield.**

"Thank you, Bill for everything. Really. I'm so sorry about everything and I'm so glad you are safe with Heather. You too Nardole, thank you for looking after me for those 70 years and for going with those children back on the ship. I never got to say that to you both properly but thank you." The Doctor pulled back from the hug and composed herself. She turned to look at all her companions. "Thank you to all of you for putting up with me and for everything you ever have been and are to me. It's selfish but I really wouldn't have missed a second of any of it."

**[Tardis]**

**(The Tardis dematerialises.)  
DOCTOR: Oh, there it is. The silly old universe. The more I save it, the more it needs saving. It's a treadmill.  
(The Tardis beeps, flashes and burbles at him.)  
DOCTOR: Yes, yes, I know. They'll get it all wrong without me. I suppose one more lifetime wouldn't kill anyone. Well, except me.  
(The Cloister Bell tolls.)  
DOCTOR: You wait a moment, Doctor. Let's get it right. I've got a few things to say to you. Basic stuff first. Never be cruel, never be cowardly, and never, ever eat pears! Remember, hate is always foolish. and love is always wise. Always try to be nice, but never fail to be kind. Oh, and you mustn't tell anyone your name. No one would understand it, anyway. Except, ah! (collapses) Except children. Children can hear it sometimes. If their hearts are in the right place, and the stars are too, children can hear your name. Argh! But nobody else. Nobody else, ever. Laugh hard, run fast, be kind. Doctor, I let you go.**

Everyone watched the screen in a gross mixture of fascination and sadness. Clara and Bill, the ones that had really known that face had tears in their eyes alongside a few of the others. It was painful and heart-breaking watching their friend, their family dying. And dying alone. Bill held the Doctor tighter in her arms, refusing to let her go. She needed the comfort, let alone the Doctor (who would never admit she needed some too).

The Doctor was analysing the screen having finally freed herself from Bill's arms. These were Eyebrow's last words and hopes for this regeneration and she hadn't been living up to them. It was so hard to be kind and nice, especially with Gallifrey's destruction and then all the lies. She had tried to seem happy and carefree this time. Tried to kept her fam safe by keeping her distance. It was just so hard. She was just so angry and the universe just kept throwing more reasons to be angry at her. She had died alone and regretful and that had imprinted on her.

**(The regeneration streams out of him, causing Tardis systems to go bang. When it ends, the engines are stuttering, and the signet ring falls off the Doctor's right hand. In fact, all the clothes are rather baggy on this new body. The scanner reveals the reflection of the new, younger face with jaw-length blonde hair.)  
DOCTOR 13: Oh, brilliant!  
(The accent has moved southwards, from Scotland to Northern England. She presses a button, there's a small explosion in the console and the scanner proclaims - Systems Crisis MULTIPLE OPERATIONS FAILURES. The Tardis snaps back into normal space, tilts drastically and keeps going bang. The Cloister Bell continues to toll. The Doctor tries to hang on to the console, but looses her grip and slides towards the door which is now open with papers flying out of it. Now the Tardis is completely on its side, door open downwards. The Time Rotor explodes and she falls out towards the distant ground as the Tardis, its interior in flames, vanishes.)**

"You fell out?!" River asked staring worriedly at her wife who was refusing to look anywhere but the floor. She hadn't been looking forward to the ensuing comments her regeneration and subsequent crashing would cause.

"I put off regeneration for too long, it made it more explosive. Plus, she was annoyed at me for regenerating in her again." The Doctor muttered shrugging. She really needed to stop regenerating in the TARDIS.

"How long? Doctor, how long did you put it off for?" Jack was serious in the way he only was around her in extremely serious circumstances. She muttered an answer quietly but the pair hadn't heard. "How long Doctor?!"

"Two weeks alright! I put it off for about two weeks. I had been injured by a Cyberman before we escaped and the explosion only made it even worse. I didn't think it would matter; I wasn't going to regenerate at all." The Doctor exploded arms flailing around at her sides as she glared between the pair.

She couldn't deal with the pity in their expressions. Her next words slipped out shocking both her and the rest of the room. "Besides he was wrong. I shouldn't have regenerated at all."

"Doctor." Martha was the first to speak amongst the tense room. "If you had died there, none of us would have ever known you were even dead. What about us? Don't we deserve a goodbye?" She was angry now, angry and scared and frustrated. And so sad for her friend. She spoke again, predicting the Doctor's protests. "And don't even try to claim that saving us from the Sontarans in your tenth form was a proper goodbye!"

The Doctor glared at the ground. She didn't know what to say. She was so tired and everything she had learnt in the Matrix in Gallifrey had only made it worse. She hadn't even meant to voice the niggling thoughts; they had been creeping over her more and more. The time in prison had only solidified her decision.

"What about us Doctor? If you had died there, we probably would have been killed by Tim Shaw and Karl definitely would have. Plus, all those other people we met on our adventures." Ryan pointed out. It was hard seeing his friend like this.

The Doctor knew she wasn't going to get anywhere, not now. "It doesn't matter. Let's just move on. I don't think any of us want to be here any longer than we have to be." The others watched her concerned. None of them wanted to drop the subject but they knew they weren't going to get anywhere at the minute. It was probably better to move on now before she closed off completely. They knew something bad must have happened for her to be thinking like this again and it worried them.

The Doctor put on a fake smile, taking a deep breath before looking back up at the others from her place on her beanbag. "Do you want to continue or does anyone want a break?" She received shrugs of indifference. "Okay, how about we watch another episode or two and then have a break?" This time the nods were more positive so they turned back to the screen a mix of nervous and excited to see what they would be shown next.


	4. The Women Who Fell to Earth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone,  
> Thanks for continuing to read and all the support!  
> Let me know what you think!  
> I hope you continue to enjoy the story  
> Robyn

The words 'The Woman Who Fell to Earth' appeared on the screen drawing a groan from the Doctor and grins from her newest companions. They all knew that this would be the first time they met. The smiles were tinted with sadness, while they had met the Doctor, they had lost Grace.

**[YouTube channel]**

**RYAN: So today I want to talk about the greatest woman I ever met. Smart, funny, caring, special. Proper special. Er, where do I start? Okay, I've mentioned this on here before. I'm pretty much not an idiot. I'm actually a capable guy, considering. But I'm 19, and cos of the thing I told you before, I can't yet ride a bike.**

"I can't ride a bike either and I am a lot older than 19, don't worry about it." Rory smiled at the younger boy who offered a shy smile in return.

"Don't worry Ryan, you'll get it soon." Graham smiled at his grandson who nodded back. He would get it. He was always improving. He would learn for his nan.

**[Moors]**

**(Probably Froggatt Edge, overlooking Sheffield, home of the world's best cutlery.)  
GRACE: Who says you can't?  
RYAN: Me, Nan. We keep trying this.  
GRACE: And we'll go on trying till it's done. Now keep your eye on Grandad.  
RYAN: You mean Graham.**

"Sorry Grandad. I shouldn't have been so rude to you." Ryan winced seeing himself on screen. He wasn't looking forward to seeing everything again.

"It's okay Ryan. I wasn't particularly nice to you half the time either." Graham offered a small smile. They really hadn't been on the best terms back then and everything they said seemed to only make it worse. They were a lot better now, he just wished sometimes that Grace was there to see it.

**GRACE: Keep your eye on Graham, then. Three, two, one, go! Go on!  
(She gives him a push and he peddles unsteadily along the grass towards Graham.)  
GRAHAM: Go on, Ryan! You're doing it, mate!  
(Then Ryan fall off.)  
GRACE: Nearly.  
RYAN: No, not nearly. I'm sick of coming up here, I'm sick of falling, and I'm sick of this stupid bike.  
GRACE: Ryan Sinclair, don't you dare!  
(Ryan throws the bike over the cliff edge. Later, sitting on the same precipitous edge.)**

"So that's how it ended up in the tree, huh Ryan." Yaz shot Ryan a look who had the decency to look sheepish. He'd forgotten about that detail.

**GRAHAM: Mate, you rode it for a second.**

"That's a nice view. Where are you?" Mickey whistled, looking at the sunsetting over the valley on screen.

"Sheffield." Ryan answered.

"Sheffield, that's new. Normally all the chaos is in London." Martha laughed; one hand laced with her husband's settled between their laps.

**RYAN: Can you stop calling me mate? Anyway, a second's not enough.  
GRACE: You'll do it, if you keep on trying.  
RYAN: I just want to make you proud.  
GRACE: You make me proud every day.**

Ryan looked at the floor sadly, he missed her so much. He didn't want to see her die again but he wanted the chance to see her again, even if on the screen. The Doctor looked down at the floor, guilty that she hadn't been able to save Grace.

**GRAHAM: Anyway, you're on your own getting that bike, cos our train leaves in twenty minutes. Come on, love.  
(So Ryan carefully picks his way down the slope and finds himself in what looks like Padley Gorge to me, all dank and mossy. The bike is hanging up in a tree. There's a whoosh and lines that form a glowing diamond shape appears behind him, which multiply and rotate into smaller squares with a dot in the middle. He touches it and it whizzes away. Then something appears in a bright light, which settles down to reveal it is blue with pock marks on it. Best way to imagine the shape is - a drop of very viscous liquid has just touched a flat surface then hardened instantly. Once again, he touches it, then pulls his hand away in pain and gets out his phone.)  
RYAN: Hi. Er, Police, maybe.**

There was a bit of laughter across the room. "I think that's a bit outside the police's area of expertise." Rory joked, smiling in understanding at Ryan who smiled back. It was nice to be around other people that understood. Yaz grinned, she was glad that Ryan had called the police, if he hadn't, she might have not met the Doctor.

**[Street]**

**(A young Police Constable approaches two squabbling women. Her attitude to policing seems to channel Sgt Cawood from Happy Valley.)  
SONIA: She smashed it with a hammer!  
JANEY: Cos you keyed me nearside door!  
SONIA: Because you parked in my spot!  
JANEY: It's not your spot. There ** _**are** _ **no spots.  
YASMIN: Ladies, please! Thank you. Can I suggest a simple solution? You pay for her cracked window, you pay for her scratched door, and we all agree that parking round here is a nightmare but that grown-ups really shouldn't need to call the police to sort it out for them. Now, if we're all agreed on that, there's no need for me to take any further police action and we can all get on with our lives. What do you reckon?**

"You're a police officer?" Bill asked curiously.

"I'm still a probationer but hopefully I will be soon." Yaz nodded back.

The Doctor was grinning wildly at Amy. "Maybe you should get some advice from Amy, Yaz."

"Are you police too?" Yaz asked the Scot.

"No." Said Scot was too busy glaring at the laughing Doctor. When her husband also started to laugh, having been told the full story of the Atraxi and Prisoner Zero, she elbowed him in the shoulder. The others watched the three and decided it was better not to ask.

**[Police car / Police station]**

**YASMIN: I'm just saying, I am capable of more than parking disputes.  
RAMESH: And I keep telling you don't run before you can walk. You're a probationer, Yaz. Learn the basics.  
YASMIN: I want to do more. Can you not get them to give me something that'll test me? Something a bit different.  
RAMESH: There is something that just came in, if you want different.**

"Well, it certainly was different." Yaz smiled at the Doctor.

"Isn't everything when it comes to the Doctor." Rose laughed. The other companions were grinning as well. Maybe their lives were different because of the Doctor but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

**[Woods]**

**(Gazing at the blue thing.)  
YASMIN: And you say you just found it here?  
RYAN: No, I said it appeared, out of nowhere.  
YASMIN: Right.  
RYAN: I swear, this isn't a prank. I came down here to get me bike.  
YASMIN: And where's your bike?  
RYAN: In that tree.  
YASMIN: Name, sir?**

"You sound so done Yaz." Amy grinned.

"Was really fed up with this nonsense. Thought it was a practical joke or something." Yaz smiled back, shrugging. She hadn't believed Ryan at the time, and she'd mostly forgotten with the Doctor and everything after. It was good to see what happened properly, even though it had been a while since it had actually happened.

**RYAN: Ryan Sinclair.  
YASMIN: Wait. Redlands Primary?  
RYAN: Yeah.  
YASMIN: Yasmin Khan.  
RYAN: Oh my God. Yaz. Wow.  
YASMIN: I know.**

"It's weird how the world works sometimes, ain't it?" Graham vaguely asked the room, not really expecting an answer. The rest of the group nodded along, they saw weird stuff all the time with the Doctor but the little things still managed to confuse them at times.

**RYAN: Look at you. You're a Fed.  
YASMIN: Yeah. We don't call it that. I'm still training, second year probation. What about you, what are you up to?  
RYAN: Warehouse worker.  
YASMIN: Oh. Right. Like it?  
RYAN: Hate it. It's cash while I study for my NVQ. I'm trying to be a mechanic.**

"If you ever want any help, I used to be a mechanic." Mickey offered smiling at the newer companion who smiled thankfully nodding eagerly.

**YASMIN: That's good. You have to take this away, though, seriously. It's going to be dark any minute. You can't dump this here.  
RYAN: I didn't. I can't even lift it.  
YASMIN: Oh, come on, Ryan. It's me.  
RYAN: Touch it.  
YASMIN: What?  
(She does.)  
RYAN: See? It's freezing.**

**[Train carriage]**

**ANNOUNCEMENT: The next station is Grindleford.  
GRAHAM: Do you ever think he's going to call me Grandad?  
GRACE: Give him time.  
GRAHAM: Three years we've been married.  
GRACE: And you've never been happier!  
(She kisses Graham then speaks to the lad with the earbuds in across the aisle, the only other person in the carriage.)**

Graham sighed he missed Grace every day. Ryan smiled sadly at Graham who met his glance in understanding. They both missed her so much.

The rest of the group were getting a bad feeling about the fact Grace wasn't in the room with them and the sad smiles the current companions kept sharing.

**GRACE: Can't keep his hands off me, love.  
GRAHAM: Behave yourself.  
GRACE: Never.  
(Up in the cab, the driver sees something sparking, then gets thrown off her 'dead man's handle'. The train comes to a sudden halt. Graham is thrown out of his seat. Then the lights go out.)**

"And here is where the trouble starts." Jack was on the edge of his seat, like many others, interested to see the newest Doctor in action. The four that had actually experienced the adventure shared a look.

**GRAHAM: You all right, love?  
GRACE: Think so, yeah. What just happened?  
GRAHAM: Where you going?  
GRACE: Just having a look.  
(She puts her head out of a door to see people getting off the train.)  
GRACE: What're you doing? Don't go on t'track, it could be live.  
KARL: Get off of there!  
(Clang!)  
GRACE: Graham, the doors just locked. We're shut in. I can't get them open. Summat's wrong.  
KARL: I think something's coming down the train.  
(There's a flash of bright light from the next carriage.)  
GRAHAM: Right, get away from the door. Grace, get to the back of the carriage. Get to the back.  
(They close the interconnecting doors behind them.)**

**[Woods]**

**(Night has fallen. Ryan's phone rings.)  
RYAN: Wait, one sec. Hiya, Nan.  
GRACE [OC]: Ryan, love. Our train's stopped between Hathersage and Grindleford, and something really weird's going on. (static)  
YASMIN: Everything all right?  
RYAN: Nan?  
(A police car speeds down a country lane.)**

"Oh, so you get to use the lights and sirens then." The Doctor teased in mock offence. Yaz simply shook her head exasperated but happy to see the Doctor in better spirits. The Doctor was family and they knew she hadn't told them everything but they trusted her. She hadn't been telling them for a reason, maybe not a good one, but she had a reason. Something had been worrying the Doctor for a while and this would give her a chance to find out and help her. As well as figure out what had happened on the other side of the boundary with the Master. Just because they knew she had a reason, didn't mean they weren't very curious and worried.

**[Train carriage]**

**GRAHAM: Grace, get back.  
(An interconnecting door is blown apart. A multi-tentacled thing moves slowly towards them.)**

"A gathering coil?" River questioned looking to her wife sharply for answers. The Doctor smiled slightly, nodding, but refused to share anything else. She wasn't surprised her wife knew what it was but she didn't want to spoil anything.

**GRAHAM: What is it?  
GRACE: I've no idea.  
(Electrical discharges from the thing trap them against the final and locked door. Suddenly, someone falls through the carriage roof with a cry.)  
DOCTOR: What?**

"That's quite an entrance Doctor. How are you even alive though? That fall should have killed you." Martha pointed out, ever the doctor. She was glancing furiously between the Doctor on screen and the one in the room.

"It did. I broke about every bone in my body but I was still within 15 hours of regeneration so they healed instantly basically." The Doctor shrugged pretending to ignore the glances that her companions shared. Rose shuddered slightly remembering the severed hand incident. River, Jack and the Master all gave the Doctor similar pointed looks that she purposely ignored.

**(They point at the being behind her. She grabs a dangling electrical cable and thrusts it into the thing, which stop sparking. I think that's what she does, it's very dark then very bright and hard to tell.)  
DOCTOR: Should buy us a few seconds. (looks at the hole in the roof) Oh yeah, Long story. Tell you later. Doors?**

"She never did tell us properly. Guess we know now though." Graham muttered to the other two who mumbled vague agreements.

The Doctor tried to protest. "I did tell you!"

The three of them raised their eyebrow in sync. "Not really Doctor, you just kinda said something about losing your TARDIS." Ryan added. The Doctor sighed before smiling apologetically. She really hadn't told the three of them much, but everything was going to be coming out soon. Whether she wanted it to or not (and she didn't).

**GRACE: Locked shut.  
DOCTOR: We'll see about that. No sonic. Empty pockets. Oh, I hate empty pockets.**

"Where did your sonic go? You love that thing." Bill questioned.

"I lost it in the explosion I think." The Doctor didn't look away from the screen. Bill grimaced remembering it, the Doctor's clothes and the last video didn't help. They weren't exactly pleasant memories; getting shot, converted into a Cyberman and then watching the Doctor die.

**KARL: It's coming back!  
DOCTOR: What are you? Okay, you don't like questions. More the private type, I get that.  
(It somehow gets Karl separated from the group.)  
KARL: Get it away from me!  
DOCTOR: All of you, stay very still.  
KARL: It's going to kill us.  
DOCTOR: It could've done that already.**

"That's not as reassuring as you think it is Doctor. Do we need to do flash cards again?" Clara sighed only half sarcastic. The Doctor smiled a bit guiltily at her, it had sounded fine at the time.

"I'm not sure I want to ask but flash cards?" Rory sighed, already regretting his question.

"I made Eyebrows flash cards because he kept forgetting basic manners. I was his career." Clara attempted to explain.

"Yeah, she cared so I didn't have to." The Doctor nodded grinning, she had missed Clara and the memories of their adventures were mostly great especially now that she could actually remember them.

"I was right I didn't want to know." Rory grimaced.

**RYAN: Nan!  
GRACE: Ryan, stay away!  
YASMIN: Oh, my God.  
(Electrical discharges, then it disappears through the hole in the roof.)  
DOCTOR: You three, relax, but stay put. I'll check the rest of the train. Fat lot of use you two were.**

"Bit rude Martian." Donna scolded. The Doctor rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly.

**(Walking through the train.)  
YASMIN: Hey! Hold on there please, madam. I need you to do as I say. This could be a potential crime scene.  
DOCTOR: Why are you calling me madam?  
YASMIN: Because you're a woman.  
DOCTOR: Am I? Does it suit me?**

"You didn't even realise?" Amy asked exasperated.

"I'm sorry, I was a bit busy falling for it to really register. Gender wasn't the first thing on my mind." The Doctor threw her hands up in surrender. Then she tilted her head to the side as a second thought occurred to her. "Plus, regeneration makes you a bit loopy and gender doesn't really matter."

**YASMIN: What?  
DOCTOR: Oh yeah, I remember. Sorry, half an hour ago I was a white-haired Scotsman. When's the next train due?**

"Well, that explains that comment." Yaz smiled.

"You didn't believe me?" The Doctor pouted.

"It's kind of a hard thing to believe, Doc." Graham shrugged. Ryan and Yaz nodded with him a bit guiltily. The Doctor smiled; she was only teasing them really.

"I'd say it was more of a grey colour." The Master smirked at the Doctor, interrupting the exchange between the three current companions and the Doctor. She raised an eyebrow before answering with her own smirk.

"Do I need to remind you of your platinum blond hair?" The Master glared at the Doctor and then at the few companions who weren't able to hide their snickers.

**RYAN: This is the last one back.  
DOCTOR: But the doors are locked. How did you both get in?  
YASMIN: Driver's window was smashed in.  
DOCTOR: What's your name?  
YASMIN: PC Khan, Hallamshire Police.  
(Note to the curious, Hallamshire is the traditional name for South Yorkshire, which is now mostly Sheffield.)  
DOCTOR: Name, not title.**

"Bit hypocritical, Boss." Mickey spoke up.

"The Doctor is my name and has been for millennium. My real name is long, complicated and dangerous." The Doctor sighed, she wasn't going to even mention the name she used during the Academy years, if she did, they would wheedle it out of her eventually. The Master grinned in her peripheral vision. He knew all her names and the reasons for her choice of the Doctor better than anyone. River was possibly the only other person alive who knew her name. All three people in the universe that knew her name in one small room. Not reassuring.

**YASMIN: Yasmin Khan. Yaz to my friends. Can I have your name, please?  
DOCTOR: When I can remember it.  
YASMIN: You don't know your own name?  
DOCTOR: Course I know it. I just can't remember it. It's right there, on the tip of my... What's that?  
RYAN: Tongue?  
DOCTOR: Tongue! Smart boy. Biology. What did she call you? Ryan?  
RYAN: Yeah. Ryan Sinclair.  
DOCTOR: Good name. Are you a doctor, Ryan?  
RYAN: No.  
DOCTOR: Shame. I'm looking for a doctor.**

"Were you trying your best to confuse them? Honestly Doctor." Rose laughed shaking her head at the Doctor. Not much changed, but at least she had known the Doctor when he regenerated and went all crazy on her. The Doctor blushed a bit in embarrassment.

"Yeah, sorry about that. Regeneration sickness is horrible." She smiled apologetically at her fam who smiled reassuringly back at her. It had been very confusing at the time but since then they had learned that the Doctor was a very confusing person in general.

**[Driver's cab]**

**DOCTOR: Power, lights, doors. Poor woman.  
RYAN: That thing must've killed her as it came through.  
DOCTOR: Must it? It didn't kill anyone else. Looks more like she died of shock when it smashed through the window.  
YASMIN: Either way, a woman has died here.  
DOCTOR: But no more creatures, and no other passengers left on board. Let's get back to the others.**

**[Train carriage]**

**YASMIN: Wait. Can you stop, please? This could be a major incident. I'm the one in charge here.**

"That didn't last long." Yaz grinned at the Doctor. She wasn't really annoyed. She had no idea how she would have explained anything to anyone.

"It never does." Martha grinned in understanding. Many of the others laughed and nodded along

**DOCTOR: What are you going to do?  
YASMIN: Call it in to my station.  
DOCTOR: What are you going to tell them?  
YASMIN: The facts.  
DOCTOR: Which are?  
YASMIN: The train was attacked.  
DOCTOR: By what?  
YASMIN: I need to take a look at CCTV footage.  
DOCTOR: And why do you need to check CCTV when we all saw it with our own eyes?  
RYAN: Was it an alien? Because it looked like an alien to me.  
YASMIN: Oh, come on.**

"It's weird to think that back then I never really would've thought of aliens being real and here I am now travelling through time and space with one." Yaz spoke, voicing the thoughts of many of the companions over the years. Both Yaz and Ryan got large grins from the Doctor.

**DOCTOR: What, you think he's wrong?  
YASMIN: No, I dunno, but...  
DOCTOR: But you're worried about how you'll explain all this to a superior officer who won't believe you.  
YASMIN: I can't not report it.  
DOCTOR: You could hold off until we get the answers to the bigger questions.  
YASMIN: Which are?  
DOCTOR: What was it? Why is it here? Where's it going next? And, most importantly, how do we stop it? 'Cos whatever it is, I don't think it's done. Come on, Ryan. Come on, Yaz. I'm calling you Yaz, cos we're friends now.**

"As normal, you are just trying to do your job and the Doctor strolls in and turns your world upside down." Martha grinned at the police officer and then offered a teasing smile at the Doctor who practically beamed at her.

"I'm guessing she did something similar to you? She blew up my job the first day we met." Rose grinned. She and Martha had been talking and had agreed to try and become friends. Mickey deserved it.

"Yeah, the hospital I was training at got abducted to the moon and he gave me a shock when I tried to listen to his heartbeat and found two." Martha explained, sharing a grin with the Doctor, who mimed taking of a tie. Yaz smiled listening to the stories, glad she wasn't the only one who had had their life turned upside down by the Doctor's appearance.

**(Later, Yasmin is taking witness details.)  
KARL: It's er Karl Wright. Middle name's Brian. 52 Northover Street.  
YASMIN: Telephone number?  
DOCTOR: Right then, troops. No, not troops. Team, gang, fam? I'm distracting myself.**

"You're always distracting yourself, sir." Nardole muttered.

"You've just died, fallen through the atmosphere, and you are already trying to save the day with new friends. You don't change Doctor." Clara shook her head stuck between exasperated and joyful and maybe a bit of frustration. The Doctor grinned like a maniac in response.

**GRACE: You came crashing through that roof.  
DOCTOR: I was thrown out of my Tardis. Oh, I've lost my Tardis. It was exploding and then it dematerialised. Don't panic. Not the end of the world. Well, it could be the end of the world, but one thing at a time.**

Amy, Rory, River shot the Doctor a questioning glance. She shook her head quickly. It wasn't like the last time the TARDIS exploded. No end of the universe this time, no cracks in the fabric of space-time.

**GRAHAM: Are we supposed to understand anything you're saying?**

"Does anyone ever understand everything she says?" Amy grinned. The rest of the companions chuckled, ignoring the pouting Doctor.

**RYAN: She thinks that thing is an alien.  
GRAHAM: Don't be daft. There's no such thing as aliens. Anyway even if there was, they ain't going to be on a train in Sheffield.  
DOCTOR: Why not? I'm alien and I'm here.  
GRAHAM: Grace, we're going.**

This drew laughter from the majority of the room. "Fair reaction mate. I was a bit like that." Mickey laughed.

"If I remember right, Ricky the idiot, you were very rude and kept calling me a thing!" The Doctor crossed her arms giving the person in question a mock glare.

"And if I remember right, which I do, you were very rude back at him and kept forgetting his name." Rose shot the pair a glare who quickly raised their arms in surrender. Neither wanted to be on Rose's bad side, even for a mock argument they had settled years ago.

**GRACE: No, we're not. She just saved our lives.  
DOCTOR: Don't be scared. All of this is new to you, and new can be scary. Now we all want answers. Stick with me, you might get some.  
KARL: Actually, I don't want answers. I just want to get to work and forget all about this. If that's all right with everyone. Even if it isn't. Thank you.  
YASMIN: Would you like me to...  
KARL: No! Thank you. I er, just want to be on my own. I'll walk. I need the air. And I'm with him. We don't get aliens in Sheffield.**

"Yeah, that's a weird one. Usually, they all focus on London." The Doctor wondered aloud.

"Is there a reason for that? I mean, the aliens usually being in London." Rory asked.

"I have no idea."

**GRACE: I think he's still in shock, bless him.  
DOCTOR: Obvious question, but has anyone noticed anything else out of the ordinary tonight?  
(Ryan slowly raises his hand.)**

**[Police car]**

**YASMIN: I'm going to be in such trouble if they find out I were there.  
DOCTOR: Can we have the lights and siren on?  
YASMIN: No! I shouldn't be doing any of this.**

The laughter started up again. The Doctor watched them face scrunched up in confusion. Graham is the only one to take pity on her. "Sorry Doc. It's just you look so disappointed."

**DOCTOR: So you three know each other?  
GRACE: I'm his Nan. Graham's me husband.  
RYAN: Second husband.**

Ryan winced and offered Graham an apologetic look for his attitude. Graham just patted him on the back, they had both been pretty cold to each other at times, but they were much closer now.

**DOCTOR: And you two know each other?  
RYAN: Yeah, Yaz and I were at school together.  
DOCTOR: Oh.  
GRACE: Not Yasmin Khan?  
YASMIN: Hello, Ryan's Nan.  
GRACE: Haven't you done well for yourself, love.  
DOCTOR: And you say you just found it there, this thing?  
RYAN: Yeah, pretty much. I took pictures.  
DOCTOR: Oh, good lad. (looks at the pictures) That's exciting. No, not exciting. What do I mean? Worrying. Fast as you can, Yaz.**

**[Woods]**

**RYAN: There's my bike.  
DOCTOR: Why's it in a tree?  
RYAN: We were up top and I chucked it over.  
GRAHAM: He gets cross cos he can't ride it.  
GRACE: We're giving him lessons. He's got dyspraxia. It's a coordination disorder.**

Amy and Rory grinned at the Doctor who suddenly felt a sense of worry at the pair of grins. "Chinny was like a baby giraffe at times, absolutely no coordination, and his dancing was absolutely horrifying." Amy cackled. Clara and River, the other two who had met Chinny, grinned in agreement. Ryan smiled a bit shy, glad no one was making any comments and instead sharing embarrassing stories about the Doctor, who was currently trying feebly to protest with no success. She kept getting drowned out by Amy's maniacal cackles.

**RYAN: Anyway, enough about me. The tree's to the left so it should be...  
YASMIN: It was definitely there.  
DOCTOR: So where's it gone?  
(White van man has it.)**

**[Industrial unit]**

**(Two men have unloaded the thing safely.)  
ANDY: Rahul, if you're right about that, should we not tell someone?  
RAHUL: What good would that do?  
ANDY: I'm worried for you, mate.  
RAHUL: I've finally got it. Go on, mate, have a pint on me. I'll see you Monday. Pick you up at eight.  
(Andy leaves. Rahul tapes video cameras to concrete posts around the thing, then sits down to watch it.)**

**[Sheffield]**

**DOCTOR: Two weird things, one city, same night, makes me nervous.  
YASMIN: I'll see if there have been any more reports on that object.  
DOCTOR: Good, cos we need all the information we can get. Meet us back here.  
GRAHAM: I could have a word with some of my old pals from work. If you want to know what's happening, ask a bus driver.  
RYAN: He always says that.  
GRAHAM: Yeah, that's cos it is true. I'd still be doing it now if I could.  
RYAN: I can search for weird stuff on social media.  
GRACE: I'll check in with my nurses group on WhatsApp.  
GRAHAM: Seriously though. Aliens?  
DOCTOR: Yep.  
GRAHAM: Yeah, maybe I won't mention that bit.  
DOCTOR: Suddenly I feel really tired.  
GRACE: That was a big fall you had, love. We should get you checked out at A&E.  
DOCTOR: No, no, no. I never go anywhere that's just initials. Although... (sticks a finger up her nostril) Ah. Can one of you catch me?**

"First of all, that is disgusting Doctor, really? Second, why do you have the hospital so much? I mean aside from the whole two hearts and alien thing, that bit I understand." Rory asked awkwardly, it had been bothering him for a long time but he'd never got the chance to ask.

"Because you humans have killed her before." The Master drawled from his chair a knowing smirk and dark look in his eye.

"How do you even know about that?" She shot back at him, gaining a raised eyebrow in response. Of course, she should have known. If there was one thing the Master knew it was her, plus he had been around at the time although he was a bit busy burning through bodies.

"Doctor what's she talking about?" Martha asked worried.

"It was an accident; they were trying to help. I was in my 7th face and I got shot a few times in San Francisco. Nothing too worrying. They took me to hospital and had to do surgery. They didn't listen or believe me when I said I was an alien and ended up killing me instead because of the two hearts. I think I surprised them when I disappeared from the Morgue. It was an accident." She glared at the Master quickly before turning to comfort her friends. They looked at her in a mix of horror and sadness.

"I guess I can see why you don't like hospitals then." Rory managed to choke out, Amy holding him tight in worry and frustration. This was a long time ago and they couldn't do anything but it was still horrible to think what their friend had gone through.

**RYAN: You're going to fall over?  
DOCTOR: In 2 minutes, 19 seconds. Wait. Forget the 2 minutes 19. Oh, this new nose is so unreliable.  
(She falls into Ryan's arms.)**

"Do you always do that to people Doctor? You need to give them better warning. At least I knew you when you did it to me!" Rose berated the sheepish Time Lord who was happy for the topic change.

"She did it to you as well? This lump collapsed on me after we ended up accidently taking a dinosaur to Victorian London and found some old friends of his." Clara sighed, happy to find others that shared experience in dealing with the Doctor.

The Doctor was beginning to think that this was a terrible idea. All these companions together was never going to end well, they were only ever going to team up and embarrass her. She was slightly glad that the TARDIS hadn't brought any others – Sarah Jane, Jo Jones (nee Grant), and the others had way too many embarrassing stories about her, as much as she would love to see them again.

**[Police station]**

**RAMESH: Yaz, you've done your shift. Stop pestering me for more interesting shouts.  
YASMIN: It's not that. I'm just wondering whether there's been anything else out of the ordinary tonight.  
RAMESH: It's the night shift in Sheffield. Everything's out of the ordinary.**

**[Bus station]**

**GRAHAM: I've got to ask you, any talk of weird stuff or strange creatures out tonight?  
GABRIEL: My wife's out with her mates at karaoke, if that's what you mean.  
(The men laugh.)  
GRAHAM: Yeah, yeah.**

**[Ryan's home]**

**GRACE: Ryan, look.  
(The Doctor is spark out on the sofa. Amazing how the suit regenerated too to fit her so well. Regeneration energy is still coursing through her veins.)  
RYAN: Whoa.  
GRACE: She's got two separate pulses.**

Martha grinned, that certainly brought back memories. "Yeah, that gave me a fright when I met her in a hospital."

"What was she doing in a hospital?" Rose asked worried, knowing it couldn't have been too long after she had ended up stuck on the parallel world. Both ignored the Doctor, not trusting her to answer honestly.

"I don't really know, investigating maybe. Good thing she was, we ended up on the Moon with a platoon of Judoon. She saved my life and half of Earths."

"You saved my life as well that day, Martha." The Doctor smiled nodding at her, she didn't look away until she got an answering smile.

**(A piece of golden energy floats away from her.)  
RYAN: Oh my God, what is that?  
GRACE: I have no idea.**

"You did that to me too! What is it?" Rose pointed out.

"Stray regeneration energy, my cells are still burning and fixing themselves." The Doctor grimaced, it was a horrible process.

**(Over in Rahul's industrial unit, the lights flicker, then the flask thing cracks. Steam rises and yellow light streams out.  
On a rooftop, the multi-tentacled thing scans the city. Rahul's video cameras burst in to flames and he leaps back, crowbar at the ready to defend himself.  
The Doctor wakes up, gasping.)  
DOCTOR: Ah! Ah! Oh! Who woke me up? I'm not ready, still healing, still... oh. Can you smell that? No, not smell, not hear, feel. Can you feel...? Stay still, Ryan.  
RYAN: What is it? What's the matter?  
DOCTOR: Ah. Show me your collarbones.  
(Little red lights flickering by their clavicles.)  
DOCTOR: Oh, you've all got them.  
RYAN: So have you.  
DOCTOR: Yeah, I have. Okay. Really sorry. Not good news. DNA bombs. Micro-implants which code to your DNA. On detonation, they disrupt the foundation of your genetic code, melting your DNA. Fast and nasty and outlawed in every civilised galaxy.**

"Nasty things." River grimaced; she had never used them but had seen them in action. "How did you get rid of them?" She was more curious than worried. She knew her wife well. The Doctor offered her a small smile and a shrug.

**RYAN: How did we get them?  
GRAHAM: Never mind that, are they going to go off?  
DOCTOR: Quiet, I'm trying to think. It's difficult. I'm not yet who I am. Brain and body still rebooting, reformatting.  
(Sees the picture of the thing on the train on Ryan's phone.)  
DOCTOR: Oh, reformatting. Can I borrow that?  
RYAN: Yeah, I guess so. But what for?  
DOCTOR: That creature, on the train when you two came on board, it zapped us all with these. Simple plan to take out witnesses. Very clever. Merciless, but clever. I reformatted your phone.  
RYAN: No! All my stuff's on there!  
DOCTOR: Not any more.**

"You never give the Doctor any kind of technology that you like the way it is. The number of times I have had to buy a new toaster!" Amy groaned while many of the other companions nodded in solemn agreement. No technology was safe in the Doctor's clutches. Ryan grimaced; she had eventually fixed his phone but it had never been the same. Plus, she had meddled with quite a few pieces of technology in their kitchen and that wasn't mentioning what she had done with his dad's microwave oven thing.

**(The Doctor triggers her new app and is thrown backwards into the wall.)  
DOCTOR: Oh! That nap did me the world of good. Very comfy sofa. (grabs her jacket) Come on, keep up.**

Many of the companions shook their heads in exasperation at the Doctor's complete disregard for her safety and at the way she just casually runs off like a lunatic.

**[Industrial unit]**

**(A bipedal metal-clad creature stands up.)  
RAHUL: Where's my sister?  
TZIM-SHA: Ask me again.  
RAHUL: Where's my sister?  
TZIM-SHA: You will never know.  
(It puts its gauntlet on Rahul's head and he screams.)**

"That's horrible!"

**[Car]**

**DOCTOR: Next left.  
YASMIN: Where are we driving to?  
RYAN: I reckon she's using my phone to track the origin signal for the DNA bombs.  
GRAHAM: Again, how long till they go off?  
DOCTOR: Don't know.  
GRAHAM: Well, can't we just defuse them?  
DOCTOR: Not without the right equipment. Left again.  
(The elderly Volvo comes to a halt in the industrial unit area. They all get out.)**

**[Business park]**

**DOCTOR: We're close.  
(Explosion a little way off.)  
DOCTOR: Bingo. Oi!  
(The metal man appears.)  
DOCTOR: I was expecting a tentacle-y thing. (shouts) Don't you move!  
(It turns away, she chases after it.)**

"Always the running, eh Doc." Jack grinned, maybe she was newly regenerated but one thing that never changed with the Doctor was the running.

"Did you really think that would work?" Donna asked amused.

"I was hopeful."

**RYAN: Wait, is that another alien?  
GRACE: Looks like it!  
(They chase after the Doctor.)  
GRAHAM: Why is she running at another alien?  
YASMIN: Don't just stand there, come on!  
GRAHAM: Now you're all running at it!  
(Further on.)**

Rory and Mickey sighed in commiseration. They both knew what it was like getting dragged into all of this.

**DOCTOR: Oh, lost it. It's fast. I'm slower cos of all this... fizzing inside.  
RYAN: In here!**

**[Industrial unit]**

**GRAHAM: Got a man down over here.  
GRACE: That thing must've killed him. I've never seen injuries like these.  
DOCTOR: Not a weapon blast, more of an ice burn.  
GRACE: It broke his jaw open too.  
DOCTOR: Looks like it took one of his teeth. What sort of creature kills someone and then stops to pull out a tooth? I'm sorry you all had to see this.  
GRACE: I'll find something to cover the body.  
DOCTOR: Thank you, Grace. I'm sorry any of this is happening. I'm sorry that thing on the train planted these bombs inside you, and I'm sorry I haven't figured out what's going on yet.  
RYAN: This is it. This is the thing.  
YASMIN: It was all sealed up earlier. Looks like it's been broken.  
DOCTOR: Or it's done what it came here for. It's some sort of transport chamber, presumably for that thing we just saw in the alley. But why here? Why tonight?  
RYAN: Actually, that might have been me.  
DOCTOR: Why? What did you do?  
RYAN: When I went to get me bike, there were this line in the air. And then it moved, and there were shapes.  
DOCTOR: And?  
RYAN: And I touched one.  
GRACE: Ryan.  
RYAN: You all would've done the same.  
GRAHAM: I wouldn't.  
DOCTOR: I would've.**

There was a mumble of agreement from most people in the room, excluding Rory, Mickey and the Master. Most of them couldn't deny that they probably would have done the same. Ryan smiled, glad to know he wasn't alone.

**RYAN: Right, the shapes disappeared. A few seconds later, that appeared. What've I done?  
DOCTOR: Hard to say, really.  
GRAHAM: I suppose you'll be blaming this on the dyspraxia as well. Can't ride a bike, started an alien invasion.**

"Sorry Ryan that really wasn't fair on you. It was an accident." Graham sighed, neither of them had been particularly kind to each other. Ryan just shrugged offering him a small smile to show he was okay.

**GRACE: Graham.  
GRAHAM: What?  
GRACE: Enough, love.  
RYAN: All right, I made a mistake. But why did that guy move this thing from the Peaks to here? And how did he even know it were there?  
DOCTOR: Good questions.  
YASMIN: Let's take a look round here, see what we can find.  
DOCTOR: Can't follow it. The tracking's been blocked, like it figured out what I was doing.  
GRACE: If we were tracking bomb signals from that creature from t'train, why did they lead us here?  
DOCTOR: Another good question. I dunno. If I could analyse that. Course, what I really need is my... Oh! I could build one I'm good at building things. Probably.  
(Runs off.)**

"You're going to make yourself a sonic screwdriver, aren't you dear?" River sighed with a knowing smile on her face. Her wife was so predictable at times. The Doctor grinned back, nodding happily, proud of her new screwdriver. Now if only she knew where it was.

**YASMIN: It's not your fault, all this.  
RYAN: Yeah, it basically is.  
YASMIN: You couldn't have known that was going to happen.  
RYAN: Maybe tell Graham that.  
YASMIN: He knows, really. Do you believe she's an alien?  
RYAN: Yeah, I think I do, yeah. Is that mad?  
YASMIN: No. I think I do too.**

"Nice to see you two never doubted me." The Doctor grinned at the pair who smiled back, neither of them regretted leaving with her at the time, she had shown them so many amazing things.

**RYAN: Hey, look in here.**

**[Office]**

**(A file of strange happenings over Sheffield, and a missing persons poster. Ryan goes to the computer.)  
RYAN: Hey, look at this.  
(In the centre of the screen is a icon - If I Die Click Here.)**

"Well, that's cheery." Nardole muttered and was promptly ignored.

**[Industrial unit]**

**(At a workbench, assembling components.)  
GRAHAM: You don't look like an alien.  
DOCTOR: You should've seen me a few hours back. My whole body changed. Every cell in my body burning. Some of them are still at it now. Reordering, regenerating.  
GRACE: Sounds painful, love.  
DOCTOR: You have no idea. There's this moment when you're sure you're about to die and then... you're born. It's terrifying. Right now, I'm a stranger to myself. There's echoes of who I was, and a sort of call towards who I am, and I have to hold my nerve and trust all these new instincts. Shape myself towards them. I'll be fine, in the end. Hopefully. Well, I have to be because you guys need help. And if there is one thing I'm certain of, when people need help, I never refuse. Right, this is going to be fun!**

The companions all glanced at the two Time Lords (and the Ponds at River) with a grimace. There wasn't really much they could say in comfort.

"That's just like you Doc, finding trouble and calling it fun." Jack grinned, distracting the three Time Lords (well two and a bit; or one, a bit and whatever the Doctor actually was) from their thoughts. He was maybe the closest one to understanding what it was like to die, but he could never understand the regeneration bit.

"You can't really say anything Jack." The Doctor grinned back at him, a thankful look in her eye, he nodded slightly to acknowledge the silent message.

**(The Doctor works. She smiles at a Sheffield Stainless Steel spoon, then puts it and a whole load of other cutlery into a bucket and melts them. Then she builds circuit boards until finally -)  
DOCTOR: Ta-da! (the sonic screwdriver lights up, then goes bang) Oh. Should be fine.**

"Looks nice Sweetie. Suits you." The Doctor grinned happily up at her, practically preening with her wife's approval. The rest of the companions (mostly) managed to hide their giggles at how excited she was.

**RYAN: Hey, we found a load of stuff.**

**[Office]**

**RAHUL [on screen]: It's come back. The thing I saw the night my sister... Everyone always says disappeared, but I know she was taken. Seven years now, tracking energy signals, building predictive programmes so that I'd know when the atmospheric disruptions matched what happened that day. And tonight it came back again and I've got it. I am going to find out what happened to my sister. If anything happens to me, her name was Asha. Don't let anyone else go through this.  
RYAN: He knew what he was doing might kill him.  
DOCTOR: She was his family.  
(Later, sonicking the remains of the container.)  
RYAN: Did you just make that?  
DOCTOR: Sonic screwdriver. Well, I say screwdriver, but it's a bit more multi-purpose than that. Scanner, diagnostics, tin opener. More of a sonic Swiss Army knife. Only without the knife. Only idiots carry knives.**

"Sonic swiss army knife! Honestly Doctor." Amy sighed exasperated; the Doctor may have been a couple thousand years older but she still acted like a small child.

"And yet it still doesn't do wood." Clara grinned teasingly, gaining laughter from the rest of the companions and a pout from the Doctor.

**RYAN: What are you doing with it?  
DOCTOR: Mapping the distance this object has travelled. It looks like it started over 5,000 galaxies away.  
YASMIN: How can you tell?  
DOCTOR: That bit there. Recall circuitry. It's designed for a return journey.  
GRAHAM: So whatever killed that bloke will have to come back here?  
DOCTOR: Question is, why did it leave? What's it looking for?  
GRACE: What's your best guess, love?  
DOCTOR: Two aliens, one city, one night. Best guess? Two species at war, using Earth as a battleground.**

"That's really not good." Mickey grimaced.

"When is it ever mate, when is it ever." Rory sighed. The pair shared a smile, it was always good to find someone else semi-sane amongst everything.

**YASMIN: Are you joking?  
DOCTOR: No, sorry.  
GRAHAM: So... so you're saying that the creature on the train and the thing that came out of here, they're now looking for each other spoiling for a scrap?  
DOCTOR: Bit more than a scrap.  
YASMIN: What are we going to do? Cos this is my home, and I'm not having it being an alien battleground.  
(The Doctor is gathering supplies.)  
DOCTOR: We stop them meeting. Capture them, send them home. Away from each other, and away from Earth.  
RYAN: How do we do that?  
DOCTOR: Well, give me a minute. I'm working on it.  
GRAHAM: Not to sound like a stuck record, but can I just ask about these DNA bombs? Like, how long have we got left?  
DOCTOR: Enough questions! You lot, you love to chat. I get it. Lots to do. I'm working on it all. And I haven't forgotten about your collarbones, Graham. Give me nine minutes, a bit of quiet, and I'll be ready to roll. Scout's honour.  
(Graham answers his phone.)  
GRAHAM: Hello? Yeah, Kevin. No, no mate. That's exactly the sort of thing.**

**[Alleyway]**

**(A drunk is throwing the unwanted bits of salad out of his takeaway box when the bipedal alien steps in front of him.)  
DEAN: Halloween's next month, mate. (throws salad at him) Eat my salad, Halloween!  
(Tzim-Sha grabs Dean's head, and he screams. It removes a tooth from the corpse.)**

Everyone looked down at the floor, sad to see another death. The Doctor grimaced, just another death she hadn't been quick enough to stop.

**[Rooftop]**

**(With the multi-tentacled electric thing.)  
DOCTOR: Hi. Us again.  
(She clamps a crocodile clip attached to a car battery to a fire escape ladder.)  
DOCTOR: Now!  
(Grace jabs it with what looks like an electric drill.)  
RYAN: Get in! It actually worked!  
DOCTOR: Of course it worked. I'm not an amateur. Overloaded its socket, stunned it for a bit. Not sure for how long though. Best be quick. And thank you to Kevin the bus driver for location intel.  
GRAHAM: See? Always ask a bus driver.  
DOCTOR: (scanning it) Half organic, half machine. Starts to make sense now. Wait. It's a Gathering Coil. No, dozens of Gathering Coils. These tentacle-y things, they're creatures which gather information. They've been lashed together and augmented into one super-creature. But why? What data are they gathering? Unless...  
YASMIN: So that's an alien species?  
DOCTOR: Not really. More of a semi-species. Weaponised bio-tech.  
YASMIN: You said there were two aliens in a battle.  
DOCTOR: You're right, I did, but now I think I'm wrong and I'm trying to catch up with what that might mean. If I can access the data it's gathered... **

"It's rare for you to admit your wrong Spaceman, you must be sick." Donna laughed teasingly.

"Oi! I can admit I'm wrong, I'm much more mature now." The Doctor protested but this seemed to only make things worse as the rest of her friends started laughing. Even the Master chuckled a bit in the corner drawing a glare from her which he promptly ignored.

**(She sticks the screwdriver into the coils and an image is projected.)  
GRAHAM: It's Karl from the train.  
DOCTOR: Karl's the data. That's what it was gathering on the train.  
GRAHAM: But what would the alien want with him?  
TZIM-SHA: Which one of you shall I kill first?  
DOCTOR: I'm voting none of us. Get behind me now. Stop right there. Come any further and we'll blast whatever that thing is.**

"Thanks for trying to protect us, Doc. I mean you barely knew us but were still willing to stand between us and the dangerous alien." Graham nodded to her.

"No, thank you Graham for helping me when I was sick and really hard to understand. Besides, I have a duty of care to protect you. I dragged you into this mess I have to make sure you get home safe." The Doctor took a deep breath, she didn't want to think about the last time she wasn't standing in front of someone and they got hurt. Bill had got shot through the stomach and then tuned into a Cyberman because she hadn't protected her enough.

Bill seemed to know what she was thinking and shot her a concerned look and whispered so the other couldn't hear. "It wasn't your fault. You did the best you could to protect me. I'm happy now, travelling with Heather. I forgave you a long time ago you stupid old man." The Doctor smiled softly back at her, unsure of what to say so choosing to remain silent.

**TZIM-SHA: You're interfering in things you don't understand.  
DOCTOR: Yeah, well, we all need a hobby.**

"I think you make it more of a lifestyle than a hobby Doctor." Martha said. The Doctor shrugged; she couldn't really deny it.

**TZIM-SHA: You're not human. Who are you?  
DOCTOR: Me? I'm... Oh, it's gone again. I had it a minute ago. So annoying. Same question back at you. No, in fact, before that, because it's really bugging me, actually not bugging me, offending me. Why the teeth? Bad enough you kill, why take a tooth from the victim?  
(It removes its faceplate to reveal that its head is studded with teeth.)**

"Oh god. That is disgusting." Rose grimaced looking away from the screen. Most of the other companions groaned in disgust and did the same. They had all seen some stuff in their time with the Doctor but this was not one of the nice ones.

**TZIM-SHA: A Stenza warrior wears his conquests. You may tell your children you were once privileged to encounter Tzim-Sha of the Stenza.  
DOCTOR: Tim Shaw?  
TZIM-SHA: Tzim-Sha.  
DOCTOR: Tim Shaw.  
TZIM-SHA: Tzim-Sha! Soon to be leader of the Stenza warrior race, conquerors of the Nine Systems.  
DOCTOR: When you say soon to be leader, what are you now, the office junior?  
GRAHAM: Eh? No, don't wind him up.**

"You have no hope of that. She finds that part fun." Mickey sighed. Rory nodded in agreement. The Doctor just grinned, that was one of the best parts plus it usually annoyed them into giving her information. Amy grinned at the Doctor as she mouthed 'poke it with a stick'.

**TZIM-SHA: Tonight is my challenge. Trace and obtain the selected human trophy.  
DOCTOR: It's a hunt. You're on a hunt.  
TZIM-SHA: Well done. Your tiny mind must be burning with such effort.  
DOCTOR: Did he just say I had a small mind?**

"Oh no, he's in trouble now, he insulted her mind and intelligence." Clara laughed, with the other companions joining in.

**TZIM-SHA: The challenge is simple. Our leaders randomly designate a selected human. I'm sent here, alone, no weapons, no assistance. I must locate and obtain the trophy and return home with it, victorious. By doing this, I ascend to leader. This is the ritual of the Stenza.  
YASMIN: And it's happened before. Rahul's sister.  
DOCTOR: Earth is not a hunting ground.  
TZIM-SHA: Access was granted.  
RYAN: No, it wasn't. It was a misunderstanding. Access revoked as of now, by me.  
DOCTOR: Just to pick up on one thing. You don't mind, do you? You said the rules were no weapons, no assistance.  
TZIM-SHA: Correct.  
DOCTOR: How did you kill them? What caused the ice burns?  
TZIM-SHA: We Stenza live at temperatures far below this planet, one touch of my cold skin will kill a human.  
DOCTOR: So, this super-powered Gathering Coil right here, you're not meant to have it, are you?  
TZIM-SHA: The creature is irrelevant.  
DOCTOR: I don't think it is. I think you smuggled it ahead of you. I think it located the randomly designated human for you. I think you broke the rules. Some leader you're going to make. Tim Shaw is a big blue cheat!  
(Tzim-Sha raises its hand, palm glowing with cold energy.)  
DOCTOR: Okay, fine, have it.**

"You backed down real fast there. That's unlike you. You have a plan, right?" Bill asked turning pointedly at the Doctor who grinned but refused to give anything away.

"Spoilers." Amy and Rory groaned; they were both very sick of that word. River raised an eyebrow at her wife who shrugged still grinning.

**(Tzim-Sha crouches by the Coil and energy flows into him.)  
RYAN: What's it doing?  
DOCTOR: Total transference. If you've finished, let's be really clear. You're not taking any human from Earth tonight. Leave now or we're going to stop you.  
TZIM-SHA: Good luck.  
(A blinding flash of light.)  
DOCTOR: No! Short-range teleport. Double cheat!  
YASMIN: Where have they gone?  
DOCTOR: To hunt.  
RYAN: Hunt who?  
DOCTOR: Isn't it obvious?**

**[Crane cab]**

**(Karl is listening to You Are Valued motivational audio on his phone (I think).)  
RECORDING: I am special.  
KARL: I am special.  
RECORDING: I am valued.  
KARL: I am valued.  
RECORDING: Somebody out there wants me.  
KARL: Somebody out there wants me.  
(He sets his crane moving on the building site.)**

"Well, that is depressing and a bit ironic looking back." Yaz sighed. Graham and Ryan were starting to shrink into the sofa in dread, they all knew what was coming soon. The Doctor kept glancing back at them worried, concern obvious.

**[Security hut]**

**DENNIS: You stay up too late, madam. Let your mum get some sleep. She works very hard for you. Mind you, I like it that you call me. Not every grandad's this lucky.  
(Flash outside.)  
DENNIS: Daisy love, I've got to go now. Love you loads. What do you think you're... Argh!  
(Tzim-Sha takes another trophy.)**

"That's horrible." Rose spoke shocked. "That poor man." They may all have seen a lot of death travelling with the Doctor but it never got easy, especially after seeing him talk to his family.

**[Car]**

**YASMIN: Karl's number's going straight to voicemail.  
RYAN: Got him. Karl Wright, operator for Skylark Building Services.  
GRAHAM: I know where their site is. It ain't far. Grace, next right, love!**

**[Crane cab]**

**(Karl spots Tzim-Sha climbing up the outside of the crane, and gets on the radio.)  
KARL: Dennis, there's someone climbing up to me cab. Dennis? Dennis, it's Karl!**

**[Building site]**

**(The Volvo parks outside the building site, and the Doctor runs up to the hole Tzim-Sha has made by walking through the security fencing. They find Dennis and hear Karl on the radio.)  
KARL [OC]: Dennis, I need help! Somebody's on my crane!  
DOCTOR: Oh, great. Karl's a crane operator. He would be, wouldn't he?**

"That's just your luck Doctor." Jack laughed.

**RYAN: It's over there.  
GRAHAM: And that creature's guarding the bottom of it.  
DOCTOR: Graham, Grace, need you to take this equipment and get everybody off this site. Don't care how. Use your initiative. Do not come back in, understand? Ryan, Yaz, how are you with machinery, and heights?**

"I don't like where I think this plan is going Doctor." Amy crossed her arms, looking like a mother scolding her child. The Doctor had to resist the urge to shrink down in her seat.

**[Crane]**

**DOCTOR: That tentacle-y thing is guarding Karl's crane, so we go up this one.  
YASMIN: What do we do when we get up there?  
DOCTOR: Don't worry, I've got a plan.  
YASMIN: Really?  
DOCTOR: Well, I will have by the time we get to the top.  
(She starts up the ladders.)**

"I have to ask, is that normal? Her coming up with plans on the spot, 'cause it seems to happen a lot to us." Graham asked the rest of the companions, ignoring the Doctor who looked mildly offended.

The rest of her previous companions nodded their heads quickly, most had large grins on their faces.

**YASMIN: Are you all right with this? Cos if it's a problem, you don't have to do it.  
RYAN: I do. I can do this.**

"Good on you Ryan." The Doctor grinned at him, proud.

**[Building site]**

**(Graham and Grace have found florescent vests and clipboards.)  
GRAHAM: Thank you very much. Total site shutdown. Quick as you can, please. Thank you. Major power issues, very serious, emergency services on their way.  
GRACE: Off site immediately, please. Matter of urgency.**

The Doctor turned to Ryan and Graham quietly and muttered so only they heard. "I'm so sorry. You don't have to see this if you don't want to. I'm sure the TARDIS will give you another room if you wanted to skip it."

Ryan and Graham shared a long look, having their own mental conversation while Yaz watched concerned and understanding. The Doctor shifted a bit on her seat on the bean bag, it was always horrible seeing people die, and even worse seeing loved ones die.

"It's okay Doc, we love her and both know that she'd be proud of us for everything. We want to stay, see this through." Graham answered for the pair, after what felt like for forever. The other companions had noticed the screen freeze but left the four to their conversation, they had a feeling the group needed the privacy.

"If you're sure. Don't worry if you change your mind, no one will judge you." The Doctor offered a sad smile, eyes screaming in understanding and pride. "You're right Graham, from the short time I had the honour of knowing her, I can tell she would be incredibly proud of the pair of you. I know I am, proud of all three of you. You are amazing people, my fam." The three smiled, a mix between love and sadness, this video was going to be difficult but they had each other, as cheesy as that sounded.

**[Crane cab]**

**KARL: You can't come up here. Turn around please! Go on!  
DOCTOR: Oi! Karl from the train. Up and over! Up and over!  
KARL: You have got to be kidding. I am valued. I am special.  
(Karl climbs out of the hatch on the top of his cab. The anemometer is going like the clappers.)**

**[Crane]**

**(Ryan's foot slips on a rung and he drops his torch.)  
YASMIN: Ryan! You okay?  
(He nods and they keep going.)**

**[Karl's crane]**

**(Karl crawls out along the horizontal long jib. Tzim-Sha reaches his cab and punches his way in.)  
KARL: I am confident. I achieve my goals. I achieve my goals.  
(He crawls past a sign - Danger Damaged Handrail.)**

**[Crane]**

**RYAN: We made it! Oh! Oh, no, no, no, no, no. It's way too high up here.  
YASMIN: What's the plan? You said you'd have a plan.  
DOCTOR: Nearly. Nearly, nearly... I got one. I climb onto the arm of this crane, you swing the arm round next to Karl's crane.  
RYAN: Oh no, you're kidding.  
DOCTOR: Karl steps across, you swing the arm away, I get him back in here, all back down for a cuppa and a fried egg sandwich. I'm really craving a fried egg sandwich. Simple, no?  
YASMIN: Not really.**

"That is a terrible plan Doctor." River drawled exasperated with her wife who gave her a sheepish look.

"Oh, don't worry it got even worse." Yaz added with sarcastic cheerfulness. This drew groans from the majority of the more mature members of the group and a small huff from the Doctor.

**DOCTOR: All right, it's a work in progress, but so is life. It'll be fine. Oh! I got these downstairs. One must work.  
(A large collection of keys.)  
DOCTOR: You can figure out how to work a crane, right? Go.  
(She heads out along the horizontal long jib.)  
DOCTOR: Yep, way too high.**

"Glad you've noticed." Donna nodded sarcastically with a roll of her eyes.

**[Building site]**

**GRAHAM: Grace, she explicitly said not to come back. It's not safe.  
(The Gathering Coil is partway up the second crane.)  
GRACE: Look, it's swapped cranes. It's trying to bring it down. We have to stop it.  
(She hands her florescent vest to Graham and storms off.)**

Graham and Ryan looked down at the floor knowing what was coming. They were going to stay in the room, but weren't planning to actually watch the horrible moment. Yaz offered Ryan a hand in comfort, which he took thankful for the support.

**[Crane cab]**

**(Karl has reached the far end of the jib. Yasmin has been trying all the keys in the ignition.)  
YASMIN: Last one. (it works) Get in. Okay, so now we just need to swing the arm round to meet that one.  
(Ryan has been doing searches on his phone.)  
RYAN: Right, I think this shows us. Ready?  
YASMIN: Every day's a learning day.**

"Especially with the Doctor." Martha grinned. The other companions chuckled; it was very true. All of them knew things and could do things they would never had had the chance to do without the Doctor. They were all changed people after travelling on the TARDIS, changed for the better mostly.

**[Crane jib]**

**DOCTOR: Wrong way! Wrong way!**

**[Crane cab]**

**RYAN: Wrong way. Wrong way!  
YASMIN: I know. Shut up.**

**[Crane jibs]**

**DOCTOR: Hiya, again.  
RYAN: What's going on?  
DOCTOR: When the arms line up, just step across.  
(The Gathering Coil manages to short-circuit the crane, and the jib halts about two metres lower than Karl's jib.)  
KARL: How am I supposed to get across there now?  
DOCTOR: When I said step, obviously I meant jump. Jump across.  
KARL: I can't do that!  
DOCTOR: Of course you can. Stand up, quick jump. Chop chop, I'll catch you.  
KARL: I dunno. I'm not great with heights.  
DOCTOR: What?  
KARL: It's my dad's company.**

"Well, that's just typical. You really have rotten luck Doctor." Rory said earning a groan in agreement.

**(Tzim-Sha is now on his jib.)  
DOCTOR: Pop on over.  
KARL: Okay. I am special.  
DOCTOR: Yes, you are.  
KARL: I am brave, and I am gonna jump.  
DOCTOR: No time like the present.  
(But just as Karl has launched himself into the air, Tzim-Sha grabs him by the collar.)  
DOCTOR: Let him go!  
(Karl is dragged away.)  
KARL: I'm sorry!  
DOCTOR: If you want something doing...  
KARL: Please! Help!  
(The Doctor takes a run up, and just manages to grab onto Karl's crane.)  
ALL: Oh, my God.  
DOCTOR: These legs definitely used to be longer.**

"Is that seriously all you have to say? You just jumped and almost fell to your death for the second time in the video and you complain about your legs being short?" Rose crossed her arms, giving the Doctor a glare based on worry. She received several glares and worried looks from the rest of the room as well.

"Well, what was I supposed to say? I survived so no point dwelling on it. Plus, it is true! I'm shorter this regeneration which is always annoying." Her statement only drew her more glares and rolled eyes. "Also, wouldn't be the first time I fell to my death." She muttered the last part with a glare at the Master who hadn't looked away from the screen.

**(She hauls herself onto the jib.)  
DOCTOR: Oi, Tim Shaw, you stop right there.  
(Tzim-Sha takes off his faceplate.)  
KARL: Oh, he's got a face of teeth!  
DOCTOR: I know. I've got this. Let him go... or I destroy this.  
(Searches pockets.)  
DOCTOR: Really need a new coat. This.  
(A glowing red gizmo.)  
DOCTOR: The recall from the pod you travelled in. I took it out. Without this, you can't get home. Yeah, see? Now you're worried. If I fall, this falls with me. Then you're stuck.**

"At least you have something to bargain with." Clara muttered, watching concerned despite knowing the Doctor was here. She had a bad feeling about what was going to happen.

**[Building site]**

**(Graham and Grace unpack the cables, battery and stuff they used on the roof top against the Gathering Coil.)  
GRACE: Yeah?  
GRAHAM: Yeah. Come on.**

**[Crane jib]**

**DOCTOR: What do you do with them, your human trophies?  
TZIM-SHA: They're held in stasis in our trophy chambers, on the cusp between life and death.  
DOCTOR: Left to rot? How completely obscene.  
TZIM-SHA: They're not important.  
KARL: Hey! I'm important.  
DOCTOR: If I don't stop you, your people will keep doing this.  
TZIM-SHA: Give me the circuit or I detonate the bombs placed in your friends.**

"That's really not good. How do you get into these situations Doctor?" Martha sighed; she didn't really expect an answer.

**DOCTOR: More weapons. Did your pet put one in Karl too?  
KARL: What?  
TZIM-SHA: There was no need. He was tagged. He is the trophy.  
DOCTOR: I thought as much. Right, you detonate the bombs, I'll destroy the recall. So, what are we going to do?**

"I'm really hoping you have a plan at this point Doctor." Rose spoke but only received a reassuring nod from the Doctor.

**[Building site]**

**(They break into the high voltage shed.)  
GRACE: Right, you rewired the house, so you sort things out this end, I'll climb up.  
GRAHAM: I don't want you doing that.  
GRACE: Graham, Ryan's in danger. We don't have time to argue. Give me t'signal when you're ready.  
GRAHAM: Okay.  
(Grace kisses him.)  
GRACE: Is it wrong to be enjoying this?  
GRAHAM: Yes!**

Most people shifted in their seats, uncomfortable at being called out. It was true, it was probably wrong to enjoy the trouble so much but they couldn't help it.

**[Crane jib]**

**DOCTOR: Poor Tim Shaw. The wannabe leader who has to cheat because he knows he's unworthy. See, that's why I know you won't detonate. Although, you could prove me wrong cos we're all capable of the most incredible change. We can evolve while still staying true to who we are. We can honour who we've been and choose who we want to be next. Now's your chance. How about it?**

Most of the companions smiled. That was typical Doctor, giving the bad guys a chance to leave. The Master rolled his eyes at her pushing a feeling of annoyance across at her. She promptly ignored him to his frustration. The Doctor thought back on her own words, what did they mean for her? For someone who didn't know who they were? Did it matter that she had memories missing or did she stick by what she knew? There were so many questions and so little answers and a burning anger beneath it all.

**TZIM-SHA: Who are you?  
DOCTOR: Yes. I'm glad you asked that again. Bit of adrenaline, dash of outrage, and a hint of panic knitted my brain back together. I know exactly who I am. I'm the Doctor. Sorting out fair play throughout the universe. Now please, get off this planet while you still have a choice.**

"And you're back to normal. Saving things and shouting your name across the universe." Amy said, voice teasing.

"How doesn't everyone know who you are at this point?" Mickey asked curious more than anything.

"She keeps erasing herself from databanks and records." River explained with a snort. The Doctor grinned at her wife ignoring the disbelieving looks she was getting from some of her companions.

"Why do you do that?" Rose asked a bit disbelieving.

"I get too big sometimes. Plus, I kinda just want to be a traveller. Don't get me wrong, if I find trouble, I'll help but I don't want to be called in for most stuff on purpose. Plus, there has been a few incidents." She grimaced with the thought of the trouble with the Silence, that had been a prominent incident that reminded her why she tried to keep herself off most radars. The others glanced at her but wisely decided not to ask any more questions based on her dark look.

**TZIM-SHA: I choose to win.  
(Tzim-Sha presses an activation button, and a few moments later drops his faceplate and starts to scream in pain.)**

Everyone had tensed up in worry when Tzim-Sha pressed the button, the three newer companions felt a bit warm inside with the thought that everyone here was worried about them. They then looked confused when it was Tzim-Sha screaming in pain not the four of them on screen.

**DOCTOR: Sorry. I removed those nasty little things from my friends - Swiss Army sonic, now with added Sheffield steel - And I implanted them back in your creature. Your transference wasn't just data, it was physical. You got everything transferred to you, including five tiny bombs. You had a choice. You did this to yourself. Go home.  
(The Doctor throws the recall circuit to Tzim-Sha, who has started to melt. Karl kicks at him and Tzim-Sha falls through the broken hand-rail, putting the recall circuit onto his chest and vanishing.)  
KARL: I am important!  
DOCTOR: You had no right to do that.**

**[Building site]**

**(Grace has climbed up to the Gathering Coil.)  
GRACE: Put a bomb in me, would you? Now, Graham!  
(Graham throws the master switch and electricity surges, starting to short out the Coil.)  
GRACE: It's working!  
(But when the Coil falls apart and drops, it knocks Grace down to the ground too, and it is not a short fall. Graham rushes to her.)  
GRACE: Don't be cross with me.  
GRAHAM: I'm not cross, baby. I'm not cross.  
GRACE: Promise me... you won't be scared.  
GRAHAM: What do you mean?  
GRACE: Without me.  
GRAHAM: Grace. Grace...  
(Ryan and Yasmin run over, then the Doctor.)**

Graham and Ryan huddled closer to each other, decidedly inspecting the floor instead of watching the screen. Both knew what had been coming and they didn't want to leave, but they weren't going to watch it. Yaz squeezed Ryan's hand tightly in support while the Doctor shuffled closer so she was leaning back between the boy's legs.

The other companions looked down in remembrance for Grace. They may have never got to meet her, but she had seemed so amazing and lovely on screen plus she was clearly very important to Ryan and Graham. None spoke a word, all understanding that this was a time for quiet remembrance rather than apologies and sympathies.

**[YouTube channel]**

**RYAN: So, today I want to talk about the greatest woman I ever met. Smart, funny, caring. Proper special. My nan. Because... she died.**

**[Ryan's bedroom]**

**RYAN: First me mum six years ago, and now me nan. It's like the best people get taken first. I had a lot to learn from her and I were looking forward to that. She died like she lived, trying to help other people. I love you, Nan, and tomorrow I'm going out there for you.**

**[Moors]**

**(Amazingly, the bike is still rideable - but Ryan still keeps falling off, bless.)  
RYAN: Three, two, one...  
(The Doctor watches from a distance as Ryan keeps trying and falling and trying again.)**

"You were watching me?" Ryan asked softly, having finally glancing back up to watch the video.

The Doctor nodded with a sad smile. "She would be so proud of you Ryan." She nodded at Graham too. "So proud of both of you. All three of you are amazing people and I am so happy that I have the privilege to know you." She received three sad smiles from her fam. They all had similar thoughts about her.

**[Chapel]**

**DOCTOR: What time did your dad say he'd get here?  
RYAN: Two hours ago.  
DOCTOR: If he said he'll come...  
RYAN: He says a lot of things. He's never been the best at being reliable. I mean, how can he not be here? She's his mum. She would've wanted him here. I want him here.**

"Thanks for staying with me Doctor." Ryan muttered to her, remembering that he had never thanked her back then but feeling he needed to.

"You're welcome Ryan but there's no need for the thanks. I know a bit about absentee families and it's better not to be alone sometimes." The Doctor nodded but her eyes said she was far away. She ignored the mental prodding from the Master, if she wasn't so distracted, she might have mistaken it for concern.

**(The memorial service has started.)  
GRAHAM: Lots of you knew Grace longer than me, so I can't stand here and pretend to know everything about her. I wasn't her first husband, but she said I would do for a second attempt. I can only tell you about the Grace I met, when I thought I didn't have much time left. The... the Grace that showed me life had more to offer, and... And I know if she was here now, she'd tell us not to be so sad. You see, I can hear her saying to me, Graham, we had three glorious years, what're you complaining about? I'm complaining because I wanted more. You see, Grace was a better person than I could ever be. And I should have gone and... Grace should still be here.**

**[Outside Ryan's home]**

**DOCTOR: What did you mean in your speech, you thought you'd run out of time?  
GRAHAM: Oh, well, er, I had cancer and er... Well, strictly speaking, I'm still in remission, three years gone. And Grace was my chemo nurse. That's where we met and fell in love. So by rights, I shouldn't even be here.  
YASMIN: Have you got family?  
DOCTOR: No. Lost them a long time ago.**

The companions all shifted uncomfortable, wondering if she was talking about them or her family at home. Maybe even both. Any that could catch the Doctor's eyes offered her small smiles of understanding and hope.

"You have us Doctor. No matter what happens or where we are, you're our family." Amy spoke softly, eyes peering over at the Doctor sadly. The Doctor smiled back, she loved them all so much. She missed the family she had lost but these people were her family too.

**RYAN: How do you cope with that?  
DOCTOR: I carry them with me. What they would've thought and said and done. I make them a part of who I am. So even though they're gone from the world, they're never gone from me.  
GRAHAM: That's the sort of thing Grace would have said.  
YASMIN: So everything we saw, everything we've lied to people about, is this normal for you?  
DOCTOR: I'm just a traveller. Sometimes I see things need fixing, I do what I can. Except right now, I'm a traveller without a ship. I've stayed too long. I should get back to finding my Tardis.**

"You're not just any traveller Doctor. There is so many people that owe their lives to you." River spoke softly to her wife but the Doctor just glanced at her with eyes drowning in doubt, quickly glancing away.

**YASMIN: Doctor. Can I just say, you really need to get out of those clothes.  
DOCTOR: Right, yeah. It's been a long time since I bought women's clothes.**

"She's right, you've been running around this whole time in ruined men's clothes that are way too big for you." Amy nodded agreeing with Yaz on screen. She, like many, were happy for the topic change. "This time you can't steal from a hospital as well." She added teasingly drawing questioning looks from the others and a sigh of exasperation from her husband.

**[Charity shop]**

**(Lots of stuff being thrown out from behind the changing room curtain.)  
DOCTOR [OC]: Not that. Not that, not that. Ah, not that. Oh! Yes! Now, that's what I want.  
(She comes out wearing a really weird ensemble of a top with two horizontal stripes across her biggest part, a pair of half-mast flares held up by braces, and a pale grey long coat with hood. Still in the Doc Martens, though.)  
YASMIN: That's what you're going with?**

"I'm glad someone around here has some fashion sense still!" Donna chuckled. Her comment brought a few chuckles from the other companions while the Doctor complained about their lack of fashion sense which only made them laugh harder.

**DOCTOR: Yep! Got any cash? Empty pockets. Also, I've been thinking about my Tardis. So you think you guys might be able to help me?**

"Bloody typical, you never have any money, do you?" Rose sighed, throwing her hands up in exasperation, thinking about all the times she had to pay because the Doctor never had any money. Martha nodded in solemn agreement, thinking back to the time she had to work in a shop to support them in 1969.

"Oi! Time and space traveller. I don't think there's enough room in my pockets for so many different currencies." The Doctor attempted to defend herself.

"Yes, but you spend a silly amount of time in late 20th century/early 21st century Britain, dear, you should be prepared." River pointed out, the Doctor made a few sounds of protests before realising she had no valid reasons to defend herself with and giving up in a huff.

**[Industrial unit]**

**(The Doctor is putting the final touches to a very Heath-Robinson lash-up. Graham is clutching a car battery.)  
GRAHAM: How long have we got to stand here for? I'm getting cramp.  
DOCTOR: Seriously, Graham, trying to concentrate here.  
RYAN: Do you understand what she's doing?  
DOCTOR: My ship uses a particular type of energy. I've tracked that energy trail from the moment I lost it to where it is now. Now, given this is a transport pod, I'm configuring it to send me to the planet where my ship seems to have ended up.  
YASMIN: You're going to another planet?  
DOCTOR: Well, trying to. Except Stenza technology's really annoying and super hard to decipher. 139 layers, seven of which don't make sense. Right. Graham.  
GRAHAM: Yeah?  
DOCTOR: Clamp those onto there.  
(Crocodile clips onto the battery terminals.)  
GRAHAM: All right.  
DOCTOR: Yaz, thread the cable onto the top. Ryan, you turn on the switch. Okay, you three, I'm almost gonna miss ya.  
(A microwave beeps.)  
DOCTOR: That's it. It's connected up. It should work.  
(She sets the timer on the microwave.)  
DOCTOR: Moment of truth, then. Wish me luck. And goodbye. Oh, deep breath. Not you lot. Me.  
(She inhales, holds it and activates the Sheffield Sonic. The microwave timer reaches zero, power surges through cables... and they all disappear.  
The Doctor opens her eyes to find she is floating in the vacuum of space - with her three new companions close by.)**

"That's really not good. How did you manage that one, you moron?" Amy stared at the Doctor, trying to understand the mess.

"OI! It wasn't entirely my fault. I got the coordinates right but the planet had been knocked out of its rotation. We were all fine in the end, got the TARDIS back." The Doctor protested. She was ignored to her annoyance as the rest of the companions looked to the newest three for confirmation of the story. They nodded in agreement to the Doctor's story. Not wanting to say too much in case that was the next video.

"Glad to know you all have so much faith in me." The Doctor mumbled before speaking up properly again. "How about we all take a break, stretch our legs and so on before the next video?" It may have been phrased like a question but the Doctor was already standing up and wandering over to a door that had appeared on the far side of the room.

She opened it with a careless shrug to the rest of the room who were watching her. On the other side she found a long corridor, maintain the same colour scheme as the cinema room. The first door she opened was a large kitchen with an attached dining area full of chairs and tables of varying size, there even seemed to be a small lounge area full of comfy chairs similar to the cinema room. She left the door open and moved further along the corridor. A few of the others had followed her while some remained in the other room chatting.

As she moved along the corridor, she found several large bathrooms and then a series of bedrooms all labelled with their names on them. Clearly the TARDIS meant for them to be here for a while. At the end of the corridor was a door labelled 'garden', she didn't open it but did spare a thought for why the TARDIS had included it. Was it for the humans or them; something different for them when the purple carpets grew annoying? A place to escape too? Maybe a quiet space? She guessed they'd probably find out. She left the door untouched, ignoring the door labelled with her name as well.

While everyone drifted off to explore and chat the Doctor leaned against the wall further down the corridor, almost out of sight from the others. There were a few conversations she knew she needed to have but couldn't quite find the strength for. Steeling herself, she took a deep breath before pushing off the wall and going to find her current companions, there was a few things they definitely needed to know and some explanations they deserved.

She found them chatting with each other in the kitchen sitting around a small table (made only for about four people, compared to the bigger ones further in the room) shoved in a corner, mugs of tea in hand, as they watched some of the others putter around. They paused their conversation and glanced at her as she entered, most of the other of the room's occupants hadn't noticed her yet. She pulled a chair out, sitting down slowly. She shifted uncomfortable in the hard, wooden chair for a few minutes trying to find the right thing to say. The three humans were watching calmly, waiting for her to find the right words.

"You three deserve an explanation I know and I'm going to try but I've just never… I've never been good at talking about myself. It hurts too much most of the time. But you deserve something, you deserve a lot more than I can give you actually." She took a shaky breath, realising she was starting to ramble and that she just needed to get on with it.

She glared at the table, not able to look at her friends. "The videos are going to show you a lot of stuff. Not all of it good, and I just want you to be a bit prepared for that. I'm not a good man. Woman. Doesn't matter. I'm not a good person. I try but ultimately at the end of the day I'm an idiot in a box running around space and time with a screwdriver. I've not told you much about anything and it's mostly because I'm selfish. People get hurt around me and I figured that if I didn't tell you much about me, if I didn't let you get close than you would be in less danger and it would hurt less when I lose you. I'm sorry." She hung her head lower, her hair forming a semi-barrier from the three, her eyes watching her hands fidgeting in her lap while she waited for the comments she knew were to come.

"Doctor… thank you for the explanation but you didn't need to." Graham spoke first, raising his hand to silence her before she could protest against his words. "We're the ones that said yes to travelling with you, you warned us about the dangers and we still chose to come. You've taken us to amazing places and shown us so many brilliant things. You're our friend but more importantly you are family. We care about you and worry about you and I understand you trying to protect us but you don't need to. We chose to come and we are all mostly adults, we can make our own choices. I reckon there is a lot more you haven't told us and we will probably see a lot of it, but it won't change what we think about you. We've told you before, we care about who you are now not your past. You're family, Doc."

"You're right though." Ryan added. "You are an idiot. An idiot for thinking you needed to keep us distant." The Doctor couldn't help the small smile that formed on her lips, she was trying to keep her eyes dry. Had she been this emotional in her last few regenerations? No, she didn't think so. Maybe all the secrets and Gallifrey were finally getting to her. Maybe she was just old. Old and tired.

"Just promise us one thing, yeah? Don't try and keep us out. We worry about you and we want to know you more. Graham's right, you're our family. And for what it's worth, I think the fact that you strive to be a good man but don't call yourself one is what makes you a good person." Yaz smiled softly. The Doctor nodded hastily in agreement, looking up to match each of the three's eyes in turn. She would do her best to keep this promise. "Good, now the three of us are going to relax with our tea and chat. You are going to talk to some of your old friends, I think there are a few who've been wanting to grab you." Taking that as a dismissal, the Doctor chuckled but stood up leaving the three to go back to their conversations.

There were so many people she needed to talk to and so many hard conversations she needed to have. She didn't have time to do all of them in this break but there was a group of people that she really needed to talk to, more than any of the others. Three that needed apologies for how she had wronged them in the past. She had wronged most of her friends in some way but these three especially. She slinked deeper into the kitchen trying to spot her targets. By some chance they were all together; Mickey, Martha and Jack. Stood leaning against the edge of the kitchen, chatting happily with Rose and Donna. She approached slowly trying to come up with an excuse to talk to the three of them alone. She knew she needed to talk with Rose and Donna as well at some point, but the other three couldn't wait any longer. They had waited long enough as it was.

The group of five noticed her approach offering smiles which she didn't really manage to return, her expression probably more like a grimace. "I was wondering if I could talk with Mickey, Martha and Jack for a bit?" That was not what she had been meaning to say, she had planned at least some vague pleasantries first, but the words seemed to spill out of her like an avalanche. An avalanche; hits you all of a sudden, can be very destructive, and caused by instabilities, fitting.

"Of course, you bloody Spaceman. We'll be talking later though, you hear me?!" Donna smirked as she shouted over her shoulder, Rose in arm being semi-dragged away to give the four some privacy.

"What's up Doctor? Missing my handsome company already?" Jack tried to grin but it fell flat. He could sense that this wasn't just a casual conversation. They all could.

The Doctor chewed her lip, trying to think what to say. They deserved so much better than she could ever articulate. "I'm sorry." She blurted out, before she could go down a spiral that would distract her from ever saying anything meaningful.

"Sorry?" Jack asked, having shared a meaningful look with the other two. "For what, Doctor?"

"Everything. I never treated the three of you as well as you deserved. And the three of you deserve a lot. I have a mountain of excuses, but that's all they are, excuses." Martha looked like she was about to interrupt before the Doctor continued. "No, just let me say this please, then you can say anything you want. You need to know this before we continue. I should have said all this a very long time ago."

She turned first to Mickey who was analysing her, arms crossed leaning against a wall in a deceptively relaxed stance. "Mickey. You're not an idiot or a tin dog or anything like that. You're incredibly brave and amazing young man, you've grown up a lot since I first met you and that was all you. I'm just sorry that you had to grow up so quickly. You deserved far better than me dragging Rose off and then insulting you continuously. I'm sorry for that and everything else. I'm glad you're happy with Martha, you both deserve each other. You're both amazing, brave and smart people who have been wronged by so many people, including me."

She turned sharply to Martha who was standing next to her husband, more tense and glancing at said husband every few seconds. "Martha. I was horrible to you when you first travelled with me. I couldn't get over losing Rose and I took it all out on you. That was always my issue not yours. You deserve the world and I'm so happy that Mickey makes you happy. You are an amazing doctor and definitely saved my life more times than I deserve. I can't ever apologise enough for what you and your family went through in that Year let alone how much I wronged you. You never should have had to see me cry over him, and you shouldn't have to deal with him again now. You are brilliant. Just brilliant Martha. Never forget that or let anyone tell you any different, especially me."

She took a deep breath, spinning to face Jack on the other side of Mickey before she could let Martha's reaction distract her. "Jack. Handsome, brave, brilliant Jack. I have so many apologies for you, but mainly I am sorry for what happened to you. Rose didn't know what she was doing but that was no excuse for me to abandon you. I was scared and you were painful but that is still no excuse. I am sorry for calling you wrong. You're not wrong. I was wrong. I kept running away from you and I shouldn't have. You, Captain Jack Harkness, are one of the bravest and kindest people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. You've always been there to help me but I've not always been there for you. I'm sorry."

She glared at the floor and finished before any of the three could speak. "I'm sorry for everything. I have wronged a lot of people in a lot of different ways and I will never make up for most of it but I have wronged the three of you far more than most. You three are amazing. Truly some of the best people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing and travelling with. I'm so sorry." Her knees were shaking as she almost collapse, steadying herself at the last moment. She bit her lip to stop herself from blabbering on or maybe to prevent herself from crying, she wasn't really sure which. It had been a very emotional day.

She flinched when she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder, her head shooting up to meet Martha's eyes which were wet with unshed tears. She let herself be drawn into a hug, wrapping her arms tight around her former companion. After a minute, the boys joined in, encircling the pair so they could barely breathe. Eventually, after what felt like hours but was probably only minutes, they pulled away.

"Thank you, Doctor. I'm not going to lie and say you didn't hurt me, because you did. But I forgave you a long time, you idiot. You are a dear friend, family even. We all make mistakes and you've owned up to them and apologised. You took me amazing places and made me a better person despite all the pain so thank you. I forgive you Doctor." Martha said, maintaining eye contact with the Doctor to try and engrave it in the alien's head.

"As much as I hated you at first, you made me a better person. A braver person than I ever was. I achieved more than I could have ever dreamed of because I met you and I have the best wife. So, thank you. Besides I can't say that I was particularly nice to you at the start either, so I'm sorry for that. If it makes you feel better, I forgive you, Boss." Mickey grinned, wrapping his arm around Martha's waist as she lay her head against his shoulder.

"You made us all better people Doctor. I'd likely still be a conman if I hadn't met you. I'd also be very dead. You're a friend Doctor and you understand better than any what it is like to live as long as I have. Thank you for the apology but I have to say, whatever this secret that the TARDIS wants to share with us is, it must be very bad." Jack tugged her back into his arms, holding her so her back was against his front, his chin resting on her head. It wasn't anything romantic, just a comforting hold from a friend. A friend holding her tight to try and protect her from the horror and pain of the universe, when both knew it was far too late.

"Thank you, but none of you needed me to make you a better person." She smiled sadly at the two she could see. "And, Jack. You're right. It is a very bad secret. We're more alike in some ways than you know. I'm not going to tell you as I am still processing and it will be shown anyway, plus it isn't fair on the others. But you'll know soon. Thank you for everything." It took a few minutes for Jack to release her and they delved into more neutral chat about Martha and Mickey's daily life and Jack's recent adventures. The tension had been broken and was on the mend.

It took about an hour for everyone to sort themselves out. Grabbing snacks and a drink, going to the toilet and chatting away while they stretched their legs. Eventually they all congregated back in the room settling back down on the sofas in the same positions as earlier ready for the next video to start.


	5. Spyfall Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!  
> I just wanted to say thank you again for all the support, I'm glad you're enjoying the story and I love seeing your comments.
> 
> A couple of things: I totally forgot to mention that I got the scripts online from /Doctor Who (so the asides aren't mine). Also I am making up my own kind of backstory/pre-leaving Gallifrey Doctor backstory so please no complaints about it not being canon (I know but Doctor Who canon is very wobbly so I am going with my own stuff for some parts). Third: I am planning to do the Timeless Child arc and then I ma absolutely going to want suggestions on what to do next - I have vague plans of episodes I want to do soon but I always want to know what you all want!
> 
> Again thank you for everything, I love you all and I hope you are staying safe!  
> Robyn

The words 'Spyfall Part 1' appeared on the screen in the same manner as the others had. The Doctor and her fam shared a glance, they had a very good guess about what this video would show. The Doctor cleared her throat before turning to the rest of the room to try and explain a bit.

"Erm, I think this video takes place about a year and a half or so after the last one so quick explanation for contexts sake. Got saved from space, found the TARDIS. Managed to get home after a couple of wrong landings-."

"16." Graham muttered, cutting of the Doctor who smiled a bit sheepishly before continuing.

"Okay 16, thank you Graham. Had a few adventures along the way-."

"13." Ryan mimicked his grandfather with a small grin.

"Okay, 13. Thanks Ryan. Anyway." She stopped for a second to see if anyone would interrupt her before determinedly continuing. "Anyway, eventually got home. Had a bit of trouble with massive spiders in Sheffield. This lot decided to travel with me on and off and that's about it." She checked with her fam who answered with a mix of nods and shrugs. The rest of the former companions smiled at the group; it was always good to see things never really changed around the Doctor.

"Well on with the story then." She finished with a grimace, thinking about what they were all going to see. She turned briefly to glare at the Master who only smirked, oh he was excited to see this video. The other three couldn't deny that they were curious to see what had really happened between the Doctor and the Master, she had never really explained the full story but she had been off since then.

**[Ivory Coast, West Africa]**

**(A lady sniper is camouflagued and lying on a rock.)  
SNIPER: Come on.  
(A truck comes into view travelling along a track.)  
SNIPER: Got ya.  
(Things start to emerge from the rockface behind her.)  
SNIPER: Just a little closer.  
(A shadow falls across her, and she turns to look.)**

**[Aeroplane over the Pacific Ocean]**

**TANNOY: Ladies and gentlemen, we'll be commencing our descent into Tokyo in approximately thirty minutes. Please take a moment to use the washrooms and collect up all your belongings.  
(An older man speaks to a bespectacled woman in an aisle seat.)  
MAN: Excuse me. Is this washbag yours? I just found it in the aisle.  
WOMAN: Yes. Sorry. I'm so clumsy. My sister's always having a go at me for this. Thanks.  
MAN: No problem at all. Enjoy your flight.  
(She takes the bag to the washroom and locks the door, then opens the bag and removes the toothpaste. The tube contains a written coded message. She photographs it with the camera built into her spectacles' frame, then eats it. There is a noise, she turns, and something is coming out of the metal door.)**

**[Moscow, Russia]**

**(A running man - of Asian descent - dodges traffic, then goes through a pair of iron gates into a building. He makes a phone call.)  
AMERICAN: I'm at the safe house. How long for the extraction team? Just make it fast.  
(He sits down, and things start coming out of the plastered ceiling, then drop down onto him.)**

"Well, that doesn't look good. What trouble have you managed to get yourself into now?" Marth asked, the way the three newest companions and the Doctor were acting was making her worried. It didn't help that the Master was smirking, that was never a good sign. Whatever happened had been big and was leading up to whatever the Tardis wanted to show them.

**[Sheffield]**

**(A pick-up basket ball game is going on. The sounds are muffled as we concentrate on Ryan, who has just caught the ball and is shooting for the basket.)  
BOYS: Go on, Ryan! Shoot!  
(It bounces off the rim.)  
BOYS: Unlucky, man. So, next week? Yeah.  
TIBO: Laters. You can play now, man. You never used to step on the court.  
RYAN: I should've got it in. I'll get it in next time.  
TIBO: You've been sick, though. Appendicitis, right? That's why we ain't seen you?  
RYAN: Oh, yeah, yeah.  
TIBO: And the hernia before that?  
RYAN: Oh, yeah. That was bad.  
TIBO: And that detached retina? Oof, that sounds painful. You've been so unlucky.  
RYAN: So unlucky.  
TIBO: So what, we don't see you and now you're off travelling?  
RYAN: Only for a bit.**

"Are those the excuses you use to explain why you disappear when you travel with the Doctor?" Rose asked curious.

"Yeah, I'm not really a great liar and don't particularly like it, but travelling with the Doctor is amazing. Even if it is hard to explain to our friends and family." Ryan shrugged. The rest of the companions nodded in understanding; it was always hard to explain to other people why they kept disappearing.

**TIBO: Better be. I've missed you, man. We all do.  
(Two men in black, wearing shades, are standing by a black car.)  
TIBO: Is there a problem, guys?**

"Ooh, what have you done?" Jack sang over excited. Rose and Martha shared a glance before Rose elbowed him hard in the side, earning a (mostly fake) wine of pain from the immortal.

**[Khan household]**

**SONYA: Just give me his number.  
YASMIN: No!  
HAKIM: Alexa, play Rubber Soul.  
ALEXA: I'm sorry, I didn't get that.  
SONYA: Why not?  
YASMIN: Because I don't want to give you his number. I'm packing.**

"C'mon Yaz, just give her my number." Ryan begged Yaz who look at him with an expression of disbelief.

"No, I am not giving her your phone number so you can flirt together thank you." Yaz crossed her arms giving him a stare saying she wasn't going to back down. Graham shook his head in fond exasperation at the pair.

**NAJIA: This is the third secondment you've been selected for.  
YASMIN: Is it? I thought it was the second.  
SONYA: You're not even going to be here.  
NAJIA: And all this during your probationer period?  
YASMIN: I know. It's amazing.  
SONYA: Is his number in here? Oh! (Yasmin snatches her phone back from her sister.)  
HAKIM: Play Rubber Soul!  
ALEXA: The nearest shoe shop is one point two miles walking distance.  
SONYA: I think it just hates your voice, Dad.**

"Your family seems nice. I'm guessing they don't know where you are?" Martha asked, expression unreadable. The Doctor resisted the urge to glance at the Master, instead sending a worried look at Martha. It hadn't just been Martha that had suffered due to the Master, her family had gone through a lot during the Year that never was.

"Thanks. They don't know details, but they have met the Doctor and the others, you can thank the spider mess for that. Really awkward to explain." Yaz recalled, looking a bit unsure of where the other woman was going with the question.

"Do I even want to ask about the spider comment? I think you mentioned it at the start of the video." Donna asked exasperated, looking like she very much already knew the answer.

The Doctor, Yaz, Ryan and Graham shared a look before turning back to the rest of the room in unison. "No." The Doctor expanded on that slightly. "It was a messy affair, all human though, no alien. Which was a nice change, accept that man." She looked at her current companions. "The one that wasn't Ed Sheeran."

The three companions rolled their eyes at her, while the rest of the room looked even more confused. Ryan just turned to the rest of the room. "Trust me, you don't want to know." The rest of the room seemed to take that as a descent answer and let the matter drop.

**NAJIA: And your boss is all right with you being away on this?  
YASMIN: Totally. He's totally all right with it.**

**[Outside the Police Station]**

**SUNDER: I'm not all right with this, Yaz. This is your fourth secondment. Fourth time I get a load of secretive paperwork, and you not telling me anything. Why do I keep losing my best probationer?  
YASMIN: It's all really good experience. Honest.  
SUNDER: I'm not daft. Have you had a tap on the shoulder? Is this undercover?  
YASMIN: Sort of.  
SUNDER: Last time. You have to be here to finish your probation.  
YASMIN: I know. I'm coming back, I promise.  
SUNDER: And I presume they're with you?  
(Two men in black.)**

"Okay, so definitely all of you. What have you done now Doctor?" Rory asked, knowing who was to blame. The Doctor just grumbled her complaints about the accusation as the rest of the room laughed slightly.

**[Hospital examination room]**

**(Graham is sitting on an exam table, rolling down his shirt sleeve.)  
COLLINS: Four years since your procedure. Time flies.  
GRAHAM: Yeah, don't it just?  
COLLINS: Test results are all as they should be, you'll be pleased to hear. Any weight fluctuations?  
GRAHAM: No.  
COLLINS: Tiredness? Muscular aches or pains?  
GRAHAM: No, none of that.  
COLLINS: I was sorry to hear about your wife.  
GRAHAM: Yeah. Thanks.  
COLLINS: We all miss her.  
GRAHAM: Yeah.  
COLLINS: Right. I don't need to keep you any longer. Sign on there. Tick all the boxes. Data protection.  
GRAHAM: Right.  
COLLINS: Are you working?  
GRAHAM: Er, no, travelling.  
COLLINS: Oh. Anywhere nice?  
GRAHAM: Sometimes.**

That earned some chuckles from the group. The Doctor crossed her arms with an expression she would deny was a pout. "Oi! I always take you to nice places."

"What about that death eye turtle army?" Graham asked.

"Or that junk galaxy where we got blown up by a sonic mine and ended up almost getting killed on the med ship?" Ryan added.

"Or Tranquillity Spa?" Yaz said.

"First of all, I apologised greatly for the death eye turtle army and the sonic mine. Second, Tranquillity Spar was technically Graham's fault. Third you're only mentioning the trouble, I took you plenty of nice places." The Doctor tried to defend herself. The three grinned at her, they had only been teasing. The rest of the room looked slightly nostalgic at the similar conversation and topic.

**(Two men in black are waiting for him outside the hospital.)**

**[Garage]**

**(The Tardis is up on a hoist while the Doctor works on cables and stuff hanging out of the base. She is also on her mobile phone.)  
DOCTOR: Ah, there's the blockage. Oh, sorry! Group message. Got to concentrate. Just calling to say hi, fam. Where are you? We said an hour. You're late. Very late. All of you.  
(She closes her flip phone as a car pulls up and doors open and close. The three sets of black cars and black-suited men are there.)**

"Oh, so now you have figured out how to use a phone but you still can't spare a minute to call me?" Martha raised an eyebrow accusingly. The Doctor shrunk a bit under her glare trying to come up with a reasonable excuse. Before she could, Martha started laughing, she'd mostly been teasing and seeing the Doctor's panicked expression was worth it. The Doctor pouted at her.

**DOCTOR: Hi, fellas. Rocking the ominous look.  
AGENT: We need you to come with us.  
DOCTOR: Can I finish up first? I'm just draining the water slides. And the boating lakes. And the rainforest floor. Plus, I'm waiting for my mates.**

The room (bar the Master and River) looked at her as she continued listing rooms, looking more and more surprised. They knew the TARDIS was big, but surely, she was joking? They'd not heard of, let alone seen, most of those rooms. The Doctor didn't even seem to notice their stares just nodding along with herself on screen.

**AGENT: Your friends are inside the car.  
(Graham sticks his head out of the rear window of the middle car.)  
GRAHAM: Worst Uber ever!  
AGENT: Look, it's in all your best interests that you come with us.**

Ryan glanced at his grandad. "Loving your priorities." Graham shrugged at him; it was a bit funny looking back on it. Yaz was smiling widely, both at the interaction but also at the comment from on-screen Graham.

**[Car]**

**(So the convoy drives through an underpass.)  
SATNAV: In half a mile, continue ahead and merge with motorway.  
(Graham, Yasmin and Ryan are crammed into the back seat, the Doctor is up front.)  
DOCTOR: How are you doing? Everything go all right? Apart from being kidnapped.  
YASMIN: Come on. What's the plan?  
DOCTOR: I thought, let him take us to where we're going. That way, we find out who wants us.  
RYAN: What if he kills us along the way?  
DOCTOR: Look at him. He's obviously doing this at someone else's orders. Don't you want to know who that is?**

"You realise he can hear everything you are saying right?" Amy questioned. The four just shrugged, they hadn't really thought about it at the time, too preoccupied with what was going on and trying to make a plan.

**SATNAV: In one hundred yards... (crackles and distorts)  
DOCTOR: Your equipment's not up to much.  
AGENT: It shouldn't be doing that.  
(He taps the screen and a stream of energy lances out, disintegrating him.)**

"Well, that went very wrong very quickly." River declared, raising an eyebrow at the four who had been in the car.

The Doctor sighed. "And it only got worse." That didn't really reassure any of the companions. The three current companions shared a similar look to the Doctor – like they were relieving bad memories. Jack noticed the Master was grinning, and started to get an even worse feeling about what they would be seeing.

**DOCTOR: Oh, God!  
(Then the accellerator pedal floors itself and they swerve through the traffic before coming to a very abrupt halt. Traffic drives past on both sides.)  
YASMIN: We can't get out!  
DOCTOR: Yes, I got that, Yaz!  
(She tries using her sonic screwdriver.)  
GRAHAM: Hey, Doc, the sat nav's just started again!  
SATNAV: In five seconds, die.  
(The map screen shows die instead of street names.)  
SATNAV: Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die.**

"What is it with cars trying to kill you Doctor?" Martha shared a private grin with Donna and the Doctor, a little worried about the situation but calming herself with the fact all four were with them currently.

"What does that mean?" Rory asked bemused, voicing the thoughts of many.

In sync the Doctor, Donna and Martha drawled, "Atmos."

"Of course, you were involved in that Doctor." Jack shook his head, not even sure why he was at all surprised. That didn't seem to answer many questions for most of the group but they let the video continue, knowing if it was important it would be shown and they weren't likely to get anymore answers otherwise.

**(The sound distorts and the vehicle drives off - backwards. The Doctor climbs into the empty drivers seat.)  
DOCTOR: The brake's not working! Someone's controlling this car and it isn't me.  
(Smoke comes from the gear box as it passes 80MPH in reverse. She tries the sonic on the satnav.)  
DOCTOR: There's got to be a way to stop it!  
(Another energy beam zaps out, but only shatters the rear window. They are suddenly on an unfinished on/off ramp.)  
GRAHAM: Look behind us! The road's out! We're going over the edge!**

"Because things weren't bad enough." Clara shook her head. That was just typical with the Doctor. Anything that could go wrong would and then it would get even worse.

**SATNAV: Die. Die. Die.  
(Another energy beam misses them all.)  
DOCTOR: I need a reflective surface.  
SATNAV: Die. Die. Die.  
(She pulls off the rear view mirror and holds it in front of the satnav screen. It blows itself up.)  
DOCTOR: Hold on!  
(One of the little orange lights on the traffic cones at the edge of the ramp flies off as the car hits it. Traffic continues to rumble into the underpass below them.)**

The room seemed to collectively let out a breath they didn't know they had been holding. They knew that the group were safe (they were in the room with them after all) but still, it was hard not to get worried.

**C [OC]: What the hell just happened? What have you idiots done with my car?  
RYAN: Who's talking?  
DOCTOR: Your car just assassinated its driver and then attempted to kill us.  
C [OC]: That's not possible.  
DOCTOR: Tell me who you are, and I'll tell you face-to-face just how possible that actually was.  
C [OC]: This is C. I was having you brought to London. To MI6.**

"MI6? That's new. How do they even know about you?" Clara asked, eyebrows scrunched in confusion.

"UNIT is my best guess maybe? Aside from that I don't really know much about how they knew me." The Doctor frowned; she hadn't really had a chance to think about that at the time. She should probably investigate that actually; it wouldn't do well for them to know too much about her.

**RYAN: What? MI6 is trying to kill us?  
C [OC]: No!  
YASMIN: Well, you nearly managed it.  
DOCTOR: All right, C. You want us, we want answers. We're coming in.  
(The Doctor fastens her seat belt and drives back to the road.)**

"You can drive a car?" Bill asked raising an eyebrow.

"Bill, I am a very old alien from a highly advanced planet that has spent a lot of my time around Earth, of course I can drive a car. Used to own one back when I worked for UNIT." The Doctor said, thinking back fondly on her old car Bessie.

"Of course, her driving is only slightly better than it is for the TARDIS." The Master smirked at her, she glared back in return before turning away. There were several things about to be shown in this video she really didn't want to see again, let alone have her friends see.

**[London - MI6]**

**(That big building at Vauxhall Cross, by the Thames, as featured in various Bond films. Can't miss it. Going up the staircase as a blue box is being trundled in from the deliveries area.)  
DOCTOR: Ah! At least they managed to transport my Tardis without damage.  
GRAHAM: Ryan, MI6. I always wanted to be a spy.  
RYAN: You'd be a rubbish spy.  
GRAHAM: I'd be a great spy. I'd just blend in.  
(Stephen Fry walks up to him.)  
C: Well, well, well. Finally we meet. You actually do exist.  
GRAHAM: What?**

The companions look confused for a minute before realising what was going on. Most of their expressions turned a bit darker or angry, sometimes they really hated 21st century prejudices. It was definitely better than it had been but compared to some of the places they had seen? It still had a way to go.

"Ah, sexism. The joys of being a woman." Clara's voice was dripping with sarcasm as she shared a sympathetic look with the Doctor. It likely wouldn't be the first or last time someone had caused trouble or mistaken her for something else just because she looked female now.

The Master scoffed at the screen; he didn't know how they could mistake the Doctor for one of her little pets. Well, it was his former idiot of a boss, but still the Doctor was far better than any of the little humans no matter her appearance she shouldn't be mixed up with them.

**(C's aide whispers to him.)  
C: Don't be ridiculous, Franklin. I've read the files. The Doctor is a man.  
DOCTOR: I've had an upgrade. Hi.  
C: Oh.**

"You aren't taking any nonsense are you, Doctor." Rose grinned at the blonde who grinned brightly back.

"Honestly, I don't know what you humans are stuck about on gender. Why does it matter?" The Doctor shook her head exasperated, she loved humanity but the 21st century still had some stupid prejudices. Though to be fair, she had looked like a man for the past 13 bodies - but it didn't mean she would always look like a man. UNIT definitely would have been better, after all they'd seen Missy first-hand. But this was MI6, they barely knew she existed let alone everything UNIT knew. That was just another reason for UNIT to get back together.

**DOCTOR: You just had us picked up like criminals and put in a car which tried to kill us.  
C: We were trying to bring you here, not kill you, but our systems got hacked.  
YASMIN: Not exactly the best demonstration of MI6 skills.  
C: I have been authorised to speak on behalf of every security agency around the globe. We need your help, Doctor.**

"Something really serious is happening then. No way all the security agents just decided to agree to ask for help for a little reason." Mickey contemplated, he and Martha knew first-hand what intelligence and security agencies were like, between Torchwood and UNIT, plus their time as freelancers.

He didn't get an answer which didn't help him feel much better. The four that had experienced it shared a glance, it really hadn't been anything small.

**[Corridor]**

**C: Over the past week, there's been a spate of attacks on intelligence officers worldwide, of every nationality. None of these attacks has been ordered by rival intelligence agencies.  
DOCTOR: At least that's what you're all telling each other.  
C: No, we all have a very good working knowledge of what our enemies are up to. No agency possesses the technology to carry out one of these attacks. None of us understands how it was done, or even what ** _**has** _ **been done. But every agent has suffered the same fate.**

**[Medical area]**

**(C's palmprint opens an old wooden door into a facility with just one bed, and a woman linked up to life support monitors.)  
C: She was found unconscious on the floor of an aeroplane washroom on a flight to Tokyo. She'd made pre-arranged contact with an informant.  
YASMIN: Is she in a coma?  
C: Apparently, it's a little more horrific than that. Now, I'm told this is your expertise - dealing with the impossible.  
(The Doctor looks at the pad showing the woman's vitals and DNA.)  
DOCTOR: You're right. That is impossible. Her DNA's been rewritten. Every strand corrupted and reshaped. She's no longer human. Just a shell with a human appearance.  
GRAHAM: Is she going to live, Doc?  
DOCTOR: There's nothing of her ** _**to** _ **live. It's like she's been erased. This is beyond any human technology.**

"That's horrifying. What has the power to do that?" Martha asked, voicing the opinion of many in the room. Whatever this threat was it was dangerous and nothing they had seen before. Both River and Jack were combing through their knowledge of species trying to figure out a likely culprit and both coming up blank.

**C: Ah. I was rather worried you were going to say that. Doctor, the security of this entire planet is at stake. Can we rely upon you?**

**[C's office]**

**(Cases are opened, showing off products from Q division.)  
C: Anaesthetic darts, laser shoe gun, infrared ID duplicator, calendar hacker, lock-breakers, rocket-launcher cufflinks, retinal ID decoder and tongue-immobiliser chewing gum. How much more do you want?  
RYAN: Yeah, it's great. Keep 'em coming, C.  
GRAHAM: Yeah, bring on the bling.  
C: They are not toys.  
RYAN: Yeah. They're not toys, Graham.  
GRAHAM: No, they're not, Ryan, and if you say otherwise, I will shoot you with my laser shoe.  
C: All of the assassinated agents were investigating leads relating to this man.  
YASMIN: (reading file) Daniel Barton. Born in Bromsgrove. Now lives just north of San Francisco. Oh, he's the founder of VOR.**

"Daniel Barton? UNIT was investigating him before they got shut down." Mickey stated, he and Martha may have been mostly freelance but they had still helped out at UNIT occasionally.

"Yeah, talking of. What happened to UNIT? I tried to contact them start of last year to help with a situation and got told by a rude lady that they had a budget cut and were shut down." The Doctor queried, looking at the married couple as they were the most likely to know the answers.

"Yeah, all this nonsense with Brexit and the fact nothing too bad has happened for a while meant the Prime Minister shut down UNIT citing budget cuts." Martha explained. Shaking her head disapprovingly. Then she registered something in the Doctor's question. "Wait. What was bad enough for you to try and phone for assistance?"

The Doctor grimaced alongside her current companions, thinking back on the incident. "A Dalek. Recon scout. It arrived on Earth a long time ago and was defeated but lived. It started controlling and killing people to try and rebuild its shell. It then tried to call for an armada. Managed to throw it in a supernova though eventually. Remind me to see what I can do about UNIT. This world needs to be protected and they are the best ones to do it." The Doctor nodded decisively to herself, ignoring the worried looks of the rest of her companions when the Dalek was mentioned.

**RYAN: The search engine.  
YASMIN: Web apps, social, global mapping, advertising, scientific and medical research, robotics, data polling, human analytics...  
C: Right now, VOR is more powerful than most nations. Daniel Barton is the man who built it all up from the ground.  
DOCTOR: We're going to need your best man on this. What do you call him? Horizon-watcher?  
C: Oh.  
DOCTOR: Exactly.  
C: Ah, well, he er... He left. I... sacked him.  
DOCTOR: The only person with an open mind about all this and you let him go?**

"I take back every nice thing I say about O." The Doctor announced to the room, which made no sense to the majority of the room but her fam nodded behind her with grimaces on their faces. She glared sharply at the Master when no one was looking. He just smirked proudly back.

**C: MI6 has never countenanced the possibility of extraterrestrial life.  
DOCTOR: Well, you should talk to your mates at GCHQ.  
C: The country has other organisations that deal with all that. UNIT. Even Torchwood.  
DOCTOR: They're all gone. Oh, C! You took your eye off the horizon just as things were coming over it. Don't worry. I'll call him.  
C: You can't. He's off-grid. We can't find him anywhere. Believe me, we've tried.  
DOCTOR: Shh. I'm WhatsApping. Hi. It's me. I'm at MI6 with C. Crisis. Big crisis. Serious crisis. Big, serious crisis. And C says you were right and he's sorry for being an idiot.  
C: I did not use those words!  
DOCTOR: Send us your location. Kisses. It's quite French, that, isn't it? Kisses? (Phone bings) Ah! See?**

The Master smirked at the Doctor who was now trying her best to ignore him to his annoyance. They had spent quite a while texting and the Doctor had spent a long time going through all their messages once she'd seen Gallifrey. Looking for any signs or hints to his actual identity. It had driven her slightly insane for several days, sitting in the ruins of her planet, well of Gallifrey, ging through the texts to try and find anything that suggested O wasn't who he said he was.

The Master would never admit it, but he had absolutely enjoyed texting the Doctor, getting the chance to have her attention, the attention she normally focused on her little pets. Having the chance to talk to her like they used to do before they left Gallifrey and even the chance to talk to her like Missy had with Eyebrows. It had been thrilling and frustrating to text her without her knowing who he was, there were so many times he had almost let something slip or been disappointed when she had thought he was just some little human.

**C: Yes?  
GRAHAM: It's a fish.  
DOCTOR: I know!**

"Doctor!" Clara rolled her eyes. Of course, the Doctor was getting over excited over a puzzle while they were all in danger, and she wasn't explaining it as normal. The Doctor offered a sheepish grin at her, maybe it hadn't been the time to get excited.

**C: Can we please focus? Daniel Barton isn't just a powerful businessman. He was also one of our agents when he first went to work in the US. Then he withdrew cooperation. It's possible he became a double agent. Or even a triple.  
YASMIN: Who for?  
C: Well...  
(Bang, glass shatters, C clutches the side of his neck.)  
C: Oh. (Head hits desk. The hole is visible in the window.)  
DOCTOR: Down!  
(They crawl for cover from rapid laser bolts. Ryan and Graham grab the gizmo cases and uses them as shields.)  
DOCTOR: Go! Get to the Tardis!  
(As she runs out of the room, aliens emerge from a hatstand, a tattered union flag in a frame labelled Flag of General Davis and even a portrait of Queen Victoria.)**

"What are those things!" Donna shouted shocked. Things had rapidly taken a bad turn.

"I haven't seen anything like that before." Jack spoke in slight awe, leaning forward in his seat to try and get a better look at the new beings.

"No, you wouldn't have." The Doctor muttered darkly.

**DOCTOR: Argh!**

**[Tardis]**

"Ooh, new TARDIS console. Nice, very yellow. Lots of crystals. Kind of hive-y." Jack grinned, leaning forward to try and inspect the new TARDIS interior like many of the others in the room.

"What are those circles near the bottom? They were on the main pillar of the last design as well." Bill asked, tilting her head to the side as if it would allow her to see them better.

"That's Gallifreyan, my language."

Bill rolled her eyes. "I know that, I mean what does it say?"

River who had started translating them when Bill had pointed them out, smiled. "Oh, you old sap." She laughed happily at the Doctor who blushed slightly.

"They're your names. All my friends, the people who travelled with me - they're your names. A reminder." She explained, fidgeting and looking at the floor.

Her friends smiled at her, a mix of feelings bursting in each of them that they were unable to articulate.

**DOCTOR: We've got to get out of here.  
GRAHAM: We've still got the gadgets.  
RYAN: We just saw the head of MI6 get assassinated.  
YASMIN: Yeah, by the same sort of bolts that came through that satnav.  
DOCTOR: Where's that picture? I need to set the coordinates. Ooo, I've got it.**

"Doctor!" Donna complained. "You need to think about your priorities." She shook her head before looking at the current companions. "At least two of you mostly have your priorities straight, honestly."

Yaz and Ryan grinned while the Doctor pouted. Ryan nudged Graham who started grumbling, he'd been focused on the gadgets as he didn't know what to do about the head of MI6 being assassinated in front of him.

**GRAHAM: So, wrong place, wrong time, twice in one day. That's got to make us targets. And why do you keep looking at pictures of a fish?  
DOCTOR: Steganography. There's another image hidden within the pixels of that photo. It's basic spycraft in your time. Easy way to smuggle out information because there's no pattern to look for. No two stegs are the same.  
RYAN: So one's hidden inside the other?**

"Smart, love. Who's this O?" River asked her wife curious; it wasn't often she took interest in a human who wasn't her companions for very long and it seemed she had been texting this human for a while. Plus, the comment from her wife about taking everything she said about him back was making her very curious – there was definitely a story there and clearly it was relevant to the Tardis's worries.

The Doctor sighed, "You'll see."

**GRAHAM: Doc...  
DOCTOR: Exactly. Luckily, I can read pixels. I took a correspondence class.  
(Graham is pointing at a slightly wibbly Tardis door.)  
GRAHAM: Doc...  
DOCTOR: Ooo, the outback. Gone full hermit.**

"Doctor, you really need to pay more attention to your friends sometimes." Clara sighed exasperated. She always got distracted when she found something interesting even in the face of danger. The Doctor looked a bit sheepish, she'd been so distracted by the steganography so she could find answers she hadn't given the threat as much attention as she probably could have.

**YASMIN: Doctor, something's trying to get in!  
(One of the aliens is halfway through the door.)  
DOCTOR: Oh, no, you don't!  
(She dematerialises the Tardis, and the alien is sucked away. Then she scans the door.)  
YASMIN: I didn't know things could get into the Tardis like that.  
DOCTOR: Neither did I.**

"That is very worrying." River spoke, glancing concerned at her wife who seemed to be having a silent conversation with the Master, she was glaring and he was smirking. Whatever was going on was clearly to do with him and she wasn't sure how to feel about that.

**RYAN: But you got rid of it.  
GRAHAM: Yeah, but what was it?  
DOCTOR: At a guess, the same thing that attacked all those spies. And possibly us. What? No readings? The sonic can usually read everything. All right, park that. Live attacks. They're after us, but we need intel. Split resources. Graham, me and you are off to Australia to see my old mate from MI6. I say old mate. I've met him once, but he seemed very nice. We text, though. Does that count?  
GRAHAM: If you say so.  
DOCTOR: Yaz, Ryan, how do you feel about undercover work?**

"You're splitting up?" Rose asked despite already knowing the answer. The group shrugged at her in answer, they had split up and it hadn't gone particularly well.

**YASMIN: Definitely!  
RYAN: I don't know.  
DOCTOR: Daniel Barton. He's our best lead. Well, he's our only lead. We'll get you a cover story. Hack his diary, get in there, check him out. Infiltrate VOR. Have a nose around their systems.  
YASMIN: Be spies, basically.  
GRAHAM: What, with absolutely no training?  
RYAN: We got the gadgets.  
GRAHAM: Well, yeah. All the gear, but no idea.  
RYAN: Oh, thanks a lot.  
GRAHAM: No, no, no, I think you'll be great. I have total confidence, you know? Just, er... just be careful, though. (to the Doctor) It's safe for them, though, right?  
DOCTOR: Yeah. Eighty percent sure. Seventy five. Forty percent absolute minimum. Take this. Bio-scanner disguised as a digital recorder. I want to know everything about Daniel Barton. Like Graham said, be careful. Stay in touch. And remember. Rule one of espionage? Trust no one.**

"Bit dramatic Doctor." Clara raised an eyebrow, channelling her years of teaching.

"Well, I'm sorry, everything seemed to be trying to kill us." The Doctor threw her hands in the air in mock offense.

"That's normal with you though." Amy received a pout for her comment.

**[VOR HQ San Francisco]**

**RYAN: Diary hacked, got us in. Loving these toys. Which building is it?  
YASMIN: That one there. Though according to the files, this whole development is down to Barton.  
RYAN: So, you journalist, me photographer?  
YASMIN: Yeah. That works, doesn't it?  
RYAN: I reckon. We've just got to try and be confident with it, haven't we? Try not to panic that we're blagging our way in on someone who might be dangerous. And don't obsess on our total lack of spy training.  
YASMIN: Yeah. Don't obsess on that. Think how the Doctor would do it. Swan in like she owns the place, big smiles, loads of chat, total confidence. We can do this. Why are you looking so worried?  
RYAN: I decided my spy name would be Logan, and now I'm worried I don't look anything like Hugh Jackman.  
YASMIN: Ryan, you're panicking. Rule one, no panicking.  
RYAN: I thought Rule one was don't trust anybody.  
YASMIN: Rule 1a, then. No panicking while you're not trusting anyone.**

The room was trying to hide their laughter but gave in when Ryan and Yaz started. Looking back on it like this made it more entertaining. At the time it had been very stressful, trying to not get caught especially now knowing they had already been at a disadvantage.

**[Foyer]**

**AIDE: I am so sorry about the diary snafu, sir. Oh, dear, this must be them. Hi! I'm sure you recognise Mister Barton.  
(Say hi to Lenny Henry with shaved head and goatee. Very snazzy.)  
RYAN: Certainly do.  
AIDE: This is Sofia Afzal.  
YASMIN: Hi.  
AIDE: And this is  
RYAN: Logan. I'm Logan. The name's Logan Jackson. I'm the photographer.  
YASMIN: I'm Sofia. He's nervous. Big fan of yours.  
(The aide giggles.)  
RYAN: I'm not nervous. Who's nervous? Hi. Logan. I'm... I'm Logan.  
BARTON: Daniel. Don't be nervous. I don't bite. Only my own staff. Especially after this mix-up. I had to fire half the PR team.  
YASMIN: You haven't?  
AIDE: No, not half. He's kidding. Just... two. Shall we go up? I'm sure they'll be able to find other jobs, won't they?**

"First of all, I already don't like him – he is absolutely up to something." Bill declared. "Second, no offence but you aren't exactly doing well at the whole playing it cool thing."

Yaz started laughing, Ryan had definitely been struggling with the undercover thing and she couldn't have laughed at the time but looking back at it now was definitely entertaining. Ryan grinned a bit sheepish he had definitely started panicking. He poked Yaz. "Hey, you at least had your police training to fall back on." Yaz just grinned back.

**[Great Victoria Desert - Australia]**

**(Actually South Africa, never mind. The Tardis materialises at an isolated station to meet a man who has two armed minders with him.)**

Everyone, who didn't already know turned in sync, heads snapping round to face the Master who was leaning back in his chair like it was a throne, smirking proudly.

"Well, that explains why the Doctor rescinded everything she said about O." Jack muttered, glaring at the Master who only grinned more, looking like a cat that had gotten the mouse. Martha glared sharply at the Master.

**SEESAY: Worth racing up from the city just for that.  
BROWNING: Got to be a trick, right? Projection? Mirrors?  
O: Say hello to the Doctor. I see you decoded the fish. Fancy a cuppa?  
DOCTOR: Very much. Hello. This is my friend, Graham.  
O: O.  
GRAHAM: Sorry, you're...?  
O: O.  
GRAHAM: O?  
O: O.  
GRAHAM: Oh.  
O: It was a joke by the others at MI6. Whenever I came into the room to meet C, he'd go, Oh, God!  
GRAHAM: Oh.  
O: It sort of stuck, and now I've owned it. This is Seesay and Browning. Just arrived. Australian Secret Service.  
SEESAY: We'll be here for the whole of your visit. We're under orders to keep all of you safe.  
GRAHAM: Safe from what?  
BROWNING: Not sure.  
DOCTOR: You're going to be a right lot of help, then, aren't you? Can I take a nose around your gaff? I love the outback. I once lived in the outback for a hundred and twenty three years. I saw some great rocks.**

**[Homestead]**

**DOCTOR: Cosy!  
O: You mean messy.  
DOCTOR: You're right, I do. Didn't realise you were this much of a hoarder.**

"Seriously Martian. You would've thought at your age you would at least know some manners!" Donna exclaimed exasperated. The Doctor shrugged; she may have felt a bit sorrier if she didn't know it was the Master.

She was analysing the screen, looking at both the 'house' and the interactions between herself on screen and 'O' for any sign of his true self. She felt so stupid looking back on it, knowing that his 'house' was a Tardis – she should have realised as soon as she stepped in.

**GRAHAM: What is all this stuff?  
O: The full MI6 record of the unexplained, as compiled by me. Human disappearances, sightings of unidentified objects, mysterious beings, possible alien incursions going back centuries. And a complete set of Fortean Times in mint condition. Look at all the evidence I gathered. And they just mocked me.  
DOCTOR: No one's mocking you now.  
O: I heard C was shot.**

The Doctor glared at the Master; she should have noticed that – how had he heard about C? They had made their way to Australia within about an hour of the assassination, which wasn't much chance for them to reach out and tell as stray MI6 agent. He had definitely been behind C's assassination.

**GRAHAM: We were there. Nearly got us an' all.  
O: Does this connect to the attacks on agents? I have been monitoring the chatter, Doctor. Is it aliens? Aliens attacking spies all over the world?  
DOCTOR: And rewriting their DNA.  
O: That's terrifying. But wow! Why would they do that?**

"As much as I am getting the feeling that I am supposed to hate you, I have to admit you are an amazing actor." Amy admitted with a shrug, she didn't really know much about the guy but everyone seemed on edge about him. She thought she maybe could recall the Doctor mentioning his name once or twice but she didn't really know what he had done to deserve all the glares. Her comment drew several disbelieving eyes her way from those that had the misfortune of knowing his crimes all too well.

"He's always liked his disguises. The Master of disguise." The Doctor sighed; eyes screwed shut as she took a moment to calm the rising anger. She had been analysing the screen for any hints of his true identity poking through the O façade and hadn't been able to find much.

"And yet the Doctor of hope keeps falling for them, despite millennia of the same games. I have had to tell you straight to your face who I was the last few times. You're getting slow, dear." The Master tilted his head with raised eyebrows, glaring at the Doctor who had been refusing to look at him.

His comment caused her to turn sharply and glare back. "You keep dying and I keep thinking 'oh, maybe this is really it this time. Maybe he's actually dead' and I stop looking for you and then like a bad penny you show up again. Besides I had thought you had run off with past you, why would I be looking for your next regeneration, let alone suspect someone I met centuries ago." The answer seemed to calm the madness coalescing in the Master's eyes as he settled with a simple nod, face impassive.

**DOCTOR: I don't know. They almost infiltrated my Tardis as we were taking off. I thought you might have something in your research banks that might give us some clues.  
(Graham draws back a curtain to reveal banks of screens.)  
GRAHAM: Wow! This is some set-up. Paranoid, are we?  
O: No. I prefer cautious. I like to know if anything's watching me. And if you're already in the middle of all of this, how do you know they won't follow you here? How do you know you haven't become targets too?**

The whole room turned to glare at the Master who leaned back in his chair, completely relaxed and grinning smugly.

**[Barton's office]**

**(Ryan is unpacking the camera.)  
BARTON: I have to be honest with you. You only got in cos you're Brits, and my mum reads your paper. She's old. Still into legacy media.  
YASMIN: We know you're busy, so Logan will take a few photos while we chat. (she activates the DNA scanner) Okay if I record? (beep) Right, then. Good to go?  
BARTON: (tapping on phone) Just searching you up. Check you are who you say you are. (he finds their names on the staff list) Fire away, then.**

"At least you thought ahead and had something to back up your story." Mickey nodded approvingly, that was far better than normal with the Doctor – they weren't completely winging it. Martha nodded along with her husband, smiling at the pair.

**YASMIN: Boy from Bromsgrove. Council estate, local comprehensive. Now with his own collection of planes and motorbikes. And a private airport.  
(Ryan gets the camera set up and takes one shot before removing the lens cover and taking some more.)  
BARTON: We couldn't afford to go abroad when I was a kid. Now flying's one of my big hobbies. I've even got my own passenger plane. I fly my mates around the world and insult them over the intercom during the flight.  
YASMIN: I bet that goes down well. So, how did you end up here, then?  
BARTON: A combination of inspiring computer science teacher, plus being one of the few non-white faces at my school. I spent a lot of time in my bedroom with my computer.  
(Ryan's camera takes a scan of Barton's Level 5 security pass and starts duplicating it.)  
BARTON: I started small, just trying to build a knowledge base. Trying to connect people with data. And that became the biggest search engine on the planet.  
YASMIN: And more. This company is far more than just a search engine now.  
BARTON: Sure. But the same principles apply. The more data we share, the better it is for the world.  
YASMIN: Unless you count disinformation. Online abuse. Cyber bullying. All of which you've been accused of ignoring. Haven't you?**

"You've really done your research." Rory grinned, Yaz was holding her own in a very high-pressure situation. She was clearly good at her job, on the occasion that she was actually there.

**BARTON: Well, we have three start-ups currently trying to figure out how to combat them. We did something great, and it got hijacked. I get to see both sides of humanity in this job. And do you know what, Sofia? It turns out you can't entirely trust everyone.  
(Barton's phone buzzes.)  
BARTON: Sorry. I've got to cut this short. Something needs my attention.  
YASMIN: We were just getting started.  
BARTON: You want to know who I am? You want to see my house, meet my friends? Cos it's my birthday tomorrow. I'm having a party. Everyone who knows me will be there. Come along, as my apology for running out on you.  
(Barton leaves.)  
RYAN: I've managed to duplicate his access pass. If we find a place to hide and do some snooping around whilst everyone knocks off... Hey. Why are you looking all weird?  
YASMIN: DNA profile. Only ninety three percent human. What's the other seven percent? Who is this guy?**

"93% human. That's new and definitely not very promising. You're in some serious trouble." Jack looked worried, glancing between the group and the picture onscreen. He hadn't been able to place the creatures, which didn't necessarily mean much – yes, he had seen a lot of things over the years but the universe was massive and ever expanding, there was plenty he hadn't seen.

"Yes, we are." The Doctor frowned; it had been very close at times but they had survived. Her sanity and peace of mind hadn't really come out the other side intact though. Everything seemed to spiral after this.

**[Outside the homestead]**

**BROWNING: This place, it's open and flat and empty the whole way round. So why does it feel like there are things moving out there?  
(Something dark whizzes across the screen. External lights come on and security cameras start moving.)**

**[Homestead]**

**O: What just happened? Two movement sensors tripped.**

**[Outside the homestead]**

**(More security lights come on.)  
BROWNING: What's doing that?**

**[Homestead]**

**O: What have you brought here, Doctor?  
DOCTOR: I don't know. Let's take a look outside.  
GRAHAM: Looking outside was actually quite low on my list. But when does she ever listen to me?**

Rory and Mickey nodded their heads in understanding, offering Graham commiserating looks.

**[Outside the homestead]**

**(A dingo howls.)  
SEESAY: Please, all of you, back inside!  
(The Doctor waves her sonic around.)  
DOCTOR: No readings.  
GRAHAM: You didn't get any readings off that thing in the Tardis either.  
DOCTOR: Exactly. There's something. It's like I can sense them.  
O: I know what you mean.  
DOCTOR: They're out there, hiding. Tripping the sensors to let us know that they're here. It's like they're watching us.  
O: Like animals stalking their prey. Sorry, that wasn't helpful.**

"You were having too much fun with that." The Doctor snapped at the Master who gave her an innocent 'who me?' look, which was ruined by the smirk.

**SEESAY: From what I understand, we were sent here cos you're one of the few people that can stop the attacks on our colleagues. So please, go inside, figure it out, and let us do the job we came for.  
GRAHAM: Doc, come on.  
SEESAY: I'll take round the back. Stay on comms.  
SEESAY [OC]: Circling around eastwards.  
BROWNING: Understood.  
(A nearby security light goes out. Another comes on. And off. And on.)  
SEESAY: See those lights going on and off?  
BROWNING [OC]: It's where I am, but it's not me.  
(The lights go off, then suddenly a bright humanoid figure appears. She fires at it and it vanishes, then reappears closer.)**

**[Homestead]**

**(The shots are heard inside.)  
DOCTOR: Browning!  
(She runs outside.)**

**[Outside the homestead]**

**BROWNING: Stay back!  
SEESAY: Run!  
(More bright figures appear.)  
SEESAY: Oh, my God! What are they?  
(They leap upon Seesay and Browning.)  
DOCTOR: Get away from them!  
O: We can't fight them out here, Doctor. Strategic retreat.  
DOCTOR: Fine.**

The Doctor glared at the Master again, as did Martha, Jack, Clara, Bill and the three current companions. They knew whatever trouble happened was at least partially his fault. The Doctor didn't care about the fact that she wouldn't have been able to save them even if the Master hadn't dragged her away, she was just too angry with him for the deception and frustrated with herself for not noticing.

He refused to meet her eyes, purposely focusing on the screen until she gave up and looked back to the screen. He only risked a glance at her when he knew she wouldn't notice it.

**[Homestead]**

**(Alarms going off.)  
DOCTOR: No signals off any of them. They've just obliterated those bodies. What can they be?  
O: Looks like they're moving.  
GRAHAM: They're surrounding the building, look.  
O: That's what we want.  
DOCTOR: Do we?  
O: Yeah. Just a little closer.  
(Screen says Fence Activated. The glowing figures approach, he hits a button and a honeycomb barrier lights up and zaps them. All but one disappear.)  
GRAHAM: Did you kill 'em?  
DOCTOR: More like they retreated.  
GRAHAM: How did you know that would work?  
O: I didn't. Gambled.  
DOCTOR: Some kit you've got here.  
O: I've had a few years to rig it out. Just in case.**

The Doctor glanced at him deep in thought. Did he have those defences just to fool her or was it for his own protection. It wouldn't exactly be the first time his plans had backfired on him. Had he practised before? Or did he really not know it would work? The Master caught her watching him and sent a feeling of questioning-curiosity-smugness along their open bond. The two had always been connected and having opened the link again recently left it a lot more open than normal. They were too used to being in each other's minds, even after all these millennia.

**GRAHAM: No, no, look. There's one still outside.  
(It walks up to the door.)  
O: Plan B. I've got a plan B. It's in the blueprints, Doctor. Just under the folder. I rigged it in case anything got past the first line of defence.  
(She rummages on the desk.)  
GRAHAM: It's coming through the wall! How can it do that?  
(A filing cabinet is in its way.)  
DOCTOR: Well, physical boundaries don't stop it, but it's still not used to this planet, or maybe even this reality.  
(The being is fully inside now.)  
DOCTOR: Spring-loaded?  
O: Yep.  
GRAHAM: What are you talking about?  
(The Doctor aims her sonic at the ceiling and a containment tank drops down over the being.)  
GRAHAM: Oh, you could have warned me about that!  
DOCTOR: Re-route the charge. We've got to keep it in there. A bit quicker!  
O: Yes! Doing my best.  
GRAHAM: That thing can't hold it.  
O: Is he just here for the running commentary?  
(Agent O hits enter on his keyboard. Energy re-routed. The being inside the tank is belted with energy from all sides.)  
O: It worked! It actually... it actually worked.**

"Did you genuinely not know if it would?" The Doctor asked, face blank.

The Master watched her for a minute, looking for cracks in her blank look – any emotions she let break through (he found nothing). "I didn't exactly have much chance to test it beforehand but I was hopeful."

She watched him for another couple of minutes, trying to see if he was lying, before conceding and turning back to the screen as the video resumed.

**DOCTOR: Who are you? What are you doing to the people on this planet? Why are you changing their DNA? And why spies? Why are you only attacking spies? What are you, exactly, except for reluctant to talk?  
O: I'm thinking one more blast.  
DOCTOR: How many are you, in your race or species or whatever you are? Where are you from?  
KASAAVIN: Far beyond.**

"So, they do talk." Clara said, half to herself.

No one was particularly excited by the development. It meant they could maybe get answers but it also meant they were more than simple drones; they had some intelligence. As if they weren't unnerving enough.

**DOCTOR: So you can communicate, then. Beyond where?  
KASAAVIN: Your understanding. (laughs)  
GRAHAM: I think it's laughing at you, Doc.  
DOCTOR: Yes, I got that. Is this your native form, wherever it is you're from? Is this what you look like at home?  
KASAAVIN: We take this form to mock you. Your shape amuses us.  
DOCTOR: Very funny.  
KASAAVIN: We are stable now. We are ready.  
DOCTOR: What does that mean, stable? Ready for what?  
KASAAVIN: To take this.  
DOCTOR: To take this what? Hut? Country? Planet?  
KASAAVIN: Universe.**

"Oh, starting off small then." Rose tried to break the tense atmosphere with some sarcasm, but it fell a bit flat. She did get a few smiles for her attempt though.

**[VOR HQ]**

**RYAN: Data from Barton's pass says he left the building hours ago. Everyone must have gone by now. Let's have a look.  
(Yasmin uses a gizmo on the CCTV cameras to make themselves vanish, then they use the cloned pass on Barton's office door.)  
RYAN: We're in.**

Graham raised an eyebrow at his grandson. "You've been dying to say that haven't you?"

Ryan grinned but just shrugged as Yaz rolled her eyes. "You watch way too many spy movies." She grumbled.

"Hey, it saved our lives later. Plus, you enjoyed parts of it too. The parts we weren't almost dying anyway." Ryan complained as Yaz just sighed.

**[Barton's office]**

**YASMIN: Right. Got to be quick. If the Doctor's right, that should download every piece of data his computer has ever had access to. Have you seen this?  
RYAN: What? That thing in the case over there? Yeah, a bit creepy.  
(A silver humanoid figure.)  
YASMIN: No. All these cameras. He's got screens monitoring half the building.  
RYAN: Control freak, innit? How long do you reckon the thing's going to take?  
YASMIN: Let's see.  
(Barton enters the building and heads upstairs. Ryan looks out of the office door.)  
YASMIN: Still clear?  
RYAN: Yep, all good.  
YASMIN: You know my sister's still proper cross I haven't given her your phone number.  
RYAN: Why haven't you?  
YASMIN: Ryan, you're my mate. I don't want you snogging my sister.  
RYAN: She's all right, your sister.  
YASMIN: Can you not, please?  
RYAN: Just give me her number, Yaz.  
YASMIN: Shut up.  
RYAN: I could be your brother-in-law. I'd be a good brother-in-law.**

"I think you too should be focusing on the mission rather than arguing about that, as entertaining as it is to see." Graham chided the pair who shrugged a bit sheepish. They had gotten a bit too confident and distracted.

**(The cloned pass beeps and lights up with Original Pass Utilised.)  
RYAN: Barton's back in the building. His pass just got access. He's coming this way!  
YASMIN: I'm not done! How close is he?**

"You have no luck." Martha sighed. It was typical with the Doctor but still very worrying to see.

**(Ryan peeks outside and sees Barton approaching.)  
RYAN: Quick, Yaz! He's coming. Get off the computer.  
(Download at 95 percent. 96. Barton enters.)  
BARTON: Bag, bag, bag. There is it.  
(Yasmin and Ryan are hiding behind a sofa.)  
BARTON: I know you're here. Show yourselves.  
(The lights flicker and two bright beings appear.)  
KASAAVIN: There have been... obstacles.  
BARTON: I told you to be discreet.**

"So, they are definitely working together, good to know. But you are now in some real trouble." Amy said, watching the screen. It was good to have confirmation of their theory but not always worth it if they managed to get into serious trouble, which they normally did.

**KASAAVIN: We must remove them all immediately.  
BARTON: No.  
(The beings come very close to him.)  
KASAAVIN: The project must continue as planned. We must defend.  
(They vanish. He breathes deeply then notices his computer screen is live. He turns it off, picks up his satchel and leaves.)  
YASMIN: He knows what they are.  
RYAN: Come on, out.  
YASMIN: No. Let's see what else is here.  
RYAN: No. No.  
(One of the beings emerges from the desk.)  
RYAN: Yaz!  
KASAAVIN: Obstacle!  
(It leaps on Yasmin, who screams.)  
RYAN: Yaz. What have you done with her? Get her back here right now! Where is she?  
KASAAVIN: She is gone.  
RYAN: I'm sorry, Yaz.  
(He runs away.)**

Ryan turned to his side, where Yaz sat, opening his mouth to apologise properly but she beat him to it. "Don't worry about it, Ryan. There was nothing you could have done. I'm okay now. Just glad you got out safe." She nudged him with her elbow to reassure him. She had been shaking up after her 'trip' and it had featured in several nightmares since but she was safe now and surrounded by people looking at her worriedly.

**[Alien realm]**

**(Surrounded by what could be giant kelp stalks if she was underwater and not in a strangely lit place.)  
YASMIN: Okay, PC Khan. Nothing to worry about.  
(She moves slowly between the stalks.)  
YASMIN: (echoing) Hello? Anyone here? Ryan?**

"Where are you?" Bill asked gaping at the screen. It looked spooky.

Yaz shrugged. "Honestly? No idea but it wasn't pleasant."

**[Homestead]**

**DOCTOR: Interesting. That glow's increasing. Life getting more intense?  
O: It's fighting back.  
DOCTOR: Or something going on.**

**[Outside VOR HQ]**

**(Bright figures start to appear on the outside of the building.)**

**[Alien realm]**

**(Worms of light travel down the stalks.)  
YASMIN: No. Stay away from me!**

**[Outside VOR HQ]**

**RYAN: What's happening?  
(The figures are flickering on and off.)**

**[Homestead]**

**O: This isn't good, Doctor. It's trying to overload my systems.  
(He gets an electric shock.)  
O: It's like it's taken a suicide pill.**

**[Alien realm]**

**YASMIN: No.  
(She vanishes into a bright light.)**

**[Homestead]**

**(And appears in the containment tank.)  
DOCTOR: Yaz. Turn the power off in there.  
O: It's already blown out.  
DOCTOR: Yaz! How are you even here?**

"Well, that explains that better." The Doctor mumbled almost to herself. She couldn't resist glancing at the Master, had he known that would happen? No, he had seemed surprised she was still alive later when he revealed himself. That had not been part of the plan but she was glad beyond belief that Yaz had survived.

**(The Doctor's phone rings.)**

**[Outside VOR HQ]**

**RYAN: Doctor, you've got to help! I've lost Yaz!**

**[Homestead]**

**DOCTOR: Yaz? I've got her. We're coming for you now.**

**[Outside the homestead]**

**(Later, daytime, Yasmin is sitting on the verandah. Ryan comes out of the building and sits beside her.)  
RYAN: You okay? (nod) You get any sleep? (shake) What happened to you?  
YASMIN: Don't know. It were just like... nothingness. Nowhere. And I was totally alone. I was so scared. Ryan... I thought I was dead.  
RYAN: No, I'm never going to let that happen to you.  
(Yasmin wipes away a tear.)**

Ryan slugged an arm around the back of sofa on Yaz's side. She leaned in, her head against his side. It wasn't a romantic gesture; they were family simply offering comfort to guard against bad memories.

**[Homestead]**

**(The Tardis is now inside the building.)  
GRAHAM: You chose to exile yourself here?  
O: Yeah.  
(Puts down a mug of tea.)  
GRAHAM: Ta. Thanks. You never get lonely?  
O: Yeah. But it's for the best.  
GRAHAM: Right.  
O: How long have you known the Doctor, Graham?  
GRAHAM: Oh, that's a tricky one to answer, that. You see, things never really happen in a straight line with the Doc. How much do you know about her?  
O: A bit. Our paths crossed very briefly once, when she was a man.  
GRAHAM: When she was a what?  
O: Has she never mentioned that?  
GRAHAM: I thought she was joking.  
O: You got any idea where she's from?  
GRAHAM: Well, we've tried to ask, but she just changes the subject, you know.  
O: I've got a whole shelf over there all about the Doctor. Everything I could gather. A lot of inconsistencies, but it's very, very interesting. Do you want to have a look?**

"Trying to convince my friends to go snooping?" The Doctor asked giving the Master a dark look before another thought occurred to her. "Also, why do you have records on me?"

"They aren't very good ones. Only what the humans have on you. I keep my better records hidden. Know thy enemy and all that." The Master's attempts to appear neutral and uncaring failed spectacularly. The Doctor managed to hide her small grin. He may claim it was because they were enemies but she knew there was also a small part of him that was worried about her. He didn't like it when other hurt her. These videos were going to be very interesting; she was sure he may know a lot about her adventures. More than probably anyone else knew and more than she was probably comfortable with, but there were definitely things he didn't know.

**(The Doctor comes out of the Tardis holding a large glass tankard full of dark liquid.)  
DOCTOR: Come on, you two. Everyone out front. Lots to catch up on. I made iced tea. Possibly.  
(The ice cubes rattle.)**

"I'm really hoping you didn't drink that. The Doctor is a terrible cook and any food she makes should never be trusted." Martha smiled, ignoring the Doctor's protests.

Yaz chuckled. "Don't worry, we learned that very quickly."

**[Outside the homestead]**

**(With the download gizmo on a laptop on the verandah.)  
DOCTOR: Daniel Barton's DNA registers as 93 percent human.  
GRAHAM: Which makes him, what, alien?  
O: No, it can't be. I've been through Barton's records. There are thousands of photos of him online at all ages. If he's not human, that's one very impressive legend he's put together.  
YASMIN: Not impossible, though.  
GRAHAM: All right, MI6, help me with something, cos I can't get me nut round it. C told us that Barton's company is more powerful than most countries. That can't be true.  
O: Governments these days are full of people who don't understand technology, so countries rely on outsourcing their tech requirements and expertise to private companies that transcend national boundaries. Companies like VOR. VOR seeps into every corner of modern technology. We're talking leisure, commercial, military. It leads the way on face-tagging, biodata, robotics. And then there's all the military systems across the globe which rely on servers operated by VOR.  
RYAN: So do we think Barton's behind the assassination of C? And the attacking of us in the car? And is in league with these aliens?  
DOCTOR: What did he say to those creatures in his office?  
YASMIN: That they should have been discreet.  
DOCTOR: So it was like he was in control of them?  
YASMIN: I couldn't work out who's in charge of who.  
(The laptop beeps.)  
DOCTOR: Ah, found something. I've been searching through all the data you took from Barton for any codes or languages not of this planet, and it's found something. In the furthest corner of the smallest system of the most obscure company in Barton's empire - alien code. Just decrypting. Running about 90 billion possible languages. Ah. Nothing. That can't be right. I've checked it against every known language in the universe and there's no match. Ah, wait! I keep the Tardis systems open for new languages, even on the fringes of the known universe. If I can synch that. Bingo! Right, need a dark wall. Come on.**

**[Homestead]**

**(A wavy image is being projected against a curtain.)  
RYAN: What is that?  
DOCTOR: I'm not sure. A single image encrypted in alien code. Trying to decode. One image, though.  
YASMIN: Steganography. Like what he sent you. A picture of a fish.**

It hit the Doctor that he was very likely aware of the image and that was why he had used steganography to reveal his location. Subtle hints scattered around. A trail of breadcrumbs all leading to his real identity.

**GRAHAM: I can't see a pattern at all, Doc.  
DOCTOR: Decoding takes a moment.  
(She sonics the laptop and the movement resolves into solid dots that look like Ursa Major.)  
RYAN: What's that? Join the dots?  
DOCTOR: I think it's coordinates.  
YASMIN: Coordinates for what?  
(Another sonic and multiple lines join the dots. Now the image is recognisable.)  
DOCTOR: Locations for those creatures across planet Earth. (more dots appear) Oh. That's more than just a few.  
YASMIN: There's hundreds of 'em.**

"That's really not good." Amy declared while her husband rolled his eyes slightly at the obvious statement which Amy noticed and elbowed him in the side for.

**GRAHAM: We can't deal with all those.  
RYAN: What are they doing here anyway?  
DOCTOR: It's all in the patterns. Steganography, encrypted code, attacks on intelligence agents. It's all spycraft. They're alien spies embedded here on Earth!  
O: No, no, that's not possible.  
RYAN: Spies from where?  
DOCTOR: I don't know. I don't recognise them. I don't recognise the language, or why they're attacking people. Or what happened to you.  
GRAHAM: The image is still changing, Doc.  
DOCTOR: More layers still being decrypted.  
(The image replicates to ten Earths.)  
DOCTOR: Oh. Why's it doing that? I don't understand. Multiple Earths? what does that even mean?  
O: Okay, okay. If you really think they're spies, we should be asking who's the spymaster? Who's running the alien spies? Because that's the person who holds the answers.**

The four of them hared a glance with each other. The Master had been trying to reveal himself and they hadn't seen it. Not that the three companions were really in the position to actually figure it out but the Doctor was mentally hitting herself. She should have known.

**GRAHAM: That's got to be Daniel Barton, right?  
YASMIN: C said they thought Barton was a double or triple agent.  
DOCTOR: We need to pay Barton a visit.  
RYAN: Good thing he's having a party, then. We got invites.  
DOCTOR: Yes! Nice work, you two.  
GRAHAM: Got invites for us all, have you?  
DOCTOR: I'm sure I can hack a guest list. What do you reckon, O? Fancy a trip in the box?  
O: I really, really would.  
(The Doctor opens the Tardis door.)  
DOCTOR: Be my guest.**

**[Tardis]**

**O: Shut up!**

"I'm surprised she didn't give you away. I think she still hates you for turning her into a paradox machine." The Doctor commented.

"That was a long time ago, besides we came to some agreement when I was working on her as Missy. She doesn't shock me and I do the maintenance you forget to do. Don't forget I saved you and your little pets from Mars." The Master snapped.

"They aren't pets, they're my friends. Besides, she held a grudge against Clara for a long time before she had actually done the thing that made the TARDIS hate her." Clara grumbled something to herself in the background. "Still, she should have told me."

"Erm Doc. Why are you talking about the ship like it's alive?" Graham asked. The companions had been sharing glances while the Time Lords bickered. Martha and Jack were the only two who had been around for the paradox machine, and were glaring at the Master for it, but a few others had heard the story.

"Because she is. I've told you three this before plus she was the one to bring us here remember? TARDISes aren't built, they're grown." The Doctor explained, smiling proudly of her old girl. The ship was her one true constant since she ran away, the Master may have known her longer but he wasn't always there and he continually hurt her. The TARDIS was always there, with few exceptions, they looked after each other.

**[Homestead]**

**O: Ridiculous.  
DOCTOR: Somewhere in the lower substrata, there's a wardrobe hall. I think it's the first right after the karaoke buses.  
GRAHAM: What do we need a wardrobe for?**

**[Vallis Estate]**

**(The Tardis is parked in the vineyard next to the main gates. Doctor is still wearing her half-mast trousers and ridiculous boots, but she and the men are in dinner jackets, white shirt and bow ties. Yasmin has chosen a tastefully understated trouser suit with sequinned jacket.)**

Jack whistled lowly. "You all clean up very nice."

"Oi! Stop it."

"He's right sweetie. You look good in that suit. Though I think you would also look good without it."

"River!"

**DOCTOR: Shall we?  
(Cue Bond-style music as they walk up to the check-in by the main doors.)  
DOCTOR: The name's Doctor. The Doctor. We're on the list.  
RECEPTIONIST: Welcome. Go right on in.  
SECURITY: Five more coming in.**

**[Villa]**

**O: Is this a bad time to mention I've never really done undercover work?  
GRAHAM: You said you worked for MI6.  
O: As an analyst. In the office.  
DOCTOR: It's a party. We're guests. Blend in. And keep an eye out for Daniel Barton.**

River gave her wife a look. "Sweetie, you don't know the definition of 'blend in'." The rest of the companions laughed, that was absolutely true. The Doctor tried desperately to protest, but was ignored.

**(Barton is standing on the mezzanine gallery with his PA, overlooking the roulette table. They are watching security film from his office.)  
YASMIN [OC]: That should download every piece of data his computer has ever had access to.  
BARTON: Thanks, Anya.  
(At the roulette wheel.)  
RYAN: Red seven. Put it on red seven. Lucky number seven.  
GRAHAM: What, all of it?  
CROUPIER: No more bets.  
GRAHAM: You'd better be right. Seven. (The ball falls.)  
GRAHAM: Yes! Yes!  
CROUPIER: Seven.  
RYAN: Get in! Get in! I'm rich! Good evening, ladies.  
GRAHAM: That's my grandson. Seven! Get in!  
(Meanwhile, at the blackjack table.)  
DOCTOR: Card. Card. Card. (she now has 6 in her hand) Snap!  
(Everyone laughs.)  
DOCTOR: Is that not the game?**

Everyone laughed alongside the people on the screen, albeit more fondly. The Doctor still looked confused, no one was willing to explain the game to her.

**(While Yasmin blows on the dice and rolls. People cheer.)  
YASMIN: What, did we win?  
O: No.  
YASMIN: Didn't know what I was doing anyway.  
O: You know what they say - lucky at dice, unlucky in love.  
YASMIN: Do they say that?  
O: No.**

Yaz glared at the Master who just smirked smugly at her. She'd spent more time with him than either of the other really and she's started to like him – before the whole tried to kill them thing, which she still hadn't forgiven him for. Plus, whatever he had done had hurt the Doctor badly and he was the reason she had been missing for the last few months.

**(Barton enters and walks past Yasmin. The Doctor comes over.)  
DOCTOR: Time for a chat.**

**[Outside the villa]**

**DOCTOR: Nice party. Nice house.  
BARTON: Daniel. Don't think we've been introduced.  
DOCTOR: I'm the Doctor. I'm a plus-one. So, did you assassinate the head of MI6 yourself, or just order it?**

"Absolutely no subtly. Straight to the point. I still wonder how you are still alive you moron." Donna sighed, exasperated. The Doctor grinned sheepishly.

**BARTON: I think you're at the wrong party. Casino theme, not whodunnit.  
DOCTOR: Why is there an alien code embedded at the edge of your company's systems? We both know you're in league with a race of alien creatures.  
BARTON: Think you'd better get your medication checked, Doctor, or maybe some psychiatric help, because I don't know who you are or what you're talking about.  
DOCTOR: How long have they been here? Where are they from? Who recruited whom? Are you running them, or are they running you? Why is your DNA 7 percent non-human?  
BARTON: You're properly unhinged.  
DOCTOR: No. I'm onto you, and I'm going to stop you.  
BARTON: I'm going to walk away now and you're going to stay away from me for the rest of both our lives, either voluntarily or because of my security people. Understand?  
DOCTOR: I'm really hard to get rid of, Mister Barton.  
BARTON: Are you?  
(Barton leaves.)  
DOCTOR: Barton's heading your way, gang. Keep an eye on him. Don't let him out of your sight.**

**[Villa]**

**DOCTOR: None of you saw him come back in? He must be here somewhere.  
YASMIN: There he is.  
(Getting into a blue Bentley.)  
DOCTOR: Oh, no, you don't!**

**[Outside the villa]**

**GRAHAM: He's off!  
RYAN: I mean, who leaves their own birthday party? He's definitely guilty. So what do we do now?  
DOCTOR: Remember our trip to the Great Kalisperon Bike-Off?  
(So they steal three motorcycles with handy helmets - Doctor in the lead, Graham with Ryan on pillion, O holding on to Yasmin.)**

Yaz grimaced slightly again at the reminder of how much time she had spent with 'O'. She had thought it was fun to hang around someone else who knew the Doctor but it hadn't exactly ended well.

She was distracted from those thoughts by Graham and Ryan grinning and muttering about the Great Kalisperon Bike-Off, that had been great fun until they had run into some trouble (as was typical with the Doctor), but unlike this video – that had been easily solved with minimal danger.

**[Track through vineyard]**

**DRIVER: Sir, it seems we have three of your motorcycles following us.  
BARTON: What exactly do I pay you for?  
(The driver accellerates along the dirt track.)  
RYAN: Go, go, go, go!  
GRAHAM: I'm going! I'm going!  
(Barton has a hand gun - is that a Desert Eagle? - and starts shooting at them.)  
RYAN: Hey! He's shooting at us!  
GRAHAM: Yes, I got that!**

Ryan rolled his eyes at Graham who just grinned at him while Yaz chuckled at the pair.

**(The bikers go between the rows of vines. Bullets bounce of the chromed bits.)  
YASMIN: Oh!  
O: Is this what it's like being with the Doctor?  
RYAN: Argh!  
YASMIN: Mate, this is one of the quiet days! Argh!**

Almost in sync, everyone who knew the Master turned to glare at him again. He just ignored them, but he was radiating smugness.

**[Airfield]**

**(The Bentley drives into a VOR hangar as an aeroplane flies over to land.)  
YASMIN: What now?**

**[Hangar]**

**(The Doctor sonics the hangar door open.)  
BARTON: Is she ready to go?  
MAN: All secure, Mister Barton.  
RYAN: How many planes does one guy need?  
DOCTOR: There he is.  
RYAN: That's one big plane.  
YASMIN: Where's he going in that?  
DOCTOR: I don't know, but we can't let him get away.  
GRAHAM: How? It's not as if we're gonna just jump on a plane with him, is it? Oh, come on.**

**[Aeroplane]**

**(Barton is his own pilot.)  
BARTON: Lonsdale tower, Barton one-niner, request clearance.  
(The Doctor sonics open the cargo hatch as he starts to taxi.)**

"Are you seriously going to try and climb on a plane as it takes off?" Clara shook her head before answering her own question. "Of course, you are, what else should I expect."

**AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL: Cleared to Hawkston radar vectors to Skaggs Island, then as filed. Squawk 4634.  
(There's an Alert on his panel.)  
DOCTOR: She's in! Fix alert sensors.  
(The alert goes off, Yasmin reaches the ramp.)  
YASMIN: Argh!  
DOCTOR: I've got you, Yaz.  
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL: Barton one-niner, climb 3,000 feet, maintain runway heading, clear for takeoff. Runway zero one. BARTON: Clear for takeoff. Runway zero one. Maintain runway heading. Climb 3,000 feet, Barton one-niner.  
(His phone is ringing. Caller ID says Private Number.)**

"That's not a good sign." Rory sighed, this video seemed to just get worse and worse.

**MAN: Hey, where are you going?  
(Graham and Ryan are on board, just O to go.)  
GRAHAM: Come on, son!  
DOCTOR: I need to close the door!  
(O makes it with a last big effort.)  
O: Sorry. I've never been good at sprinting.  
DOCTOR: What?  
RYAN: Come on, Doctor. We're about to take off.  
DOCTOR: In the main cabin!**

"At least you're all on board safely." Martha declared. Things were going badly so it was nice to see not absolutely everything ended in disaster.

**(She sonicks the cargo hatch closed and they make their way between the rows of seats.)  
DOCTOR: Here.  
YASMIN: What are we actually going to do?  
DOCTOR: Sit tight. See where he's going. Never been good at sprinting?  
O: I was the last one in every race at school.  
DOCTOR: No, no, no. I read your file. You were a champion sprinter.  
O: Mmm. Got me. Well done.  
GRAHAM: What's going on, Doc?  
DOCTOR: I don't know.  
O: You'd best take a look out of the window.  
(The homestead is flying through the air.)  
GRAHAM: How's your house out there?  
O: Bit Wicked Witch of the West, but you get the gist. Maybe. Maybe not.**

Jack glared fiercely at the Master. "I thought you hated human things, yet you know about the Wizard of Oz?" His voice was scathing, he didn't really acre about the answer he was just trying to annoy the Master

The Master glared back, holding back a sneer (barely) but didn't answer. He'd spent periods of time stuck on Earth on several occasions and been forced (*cough* chose to *cough*) watch some pop cultural things. It was kind of necessary for some of his roles – he'd spent several years as O; it wasn't like he could always avoid the references (he even enjoyed some – Blondy had really liked the Teletubbies and Missy liked lots of cartoons). But he was never going to admit that to anyone here. He was purposely ignoring the Doctor who absolutely knew the answer (they had watched several movies and cartoons together during her imprisonment at the university).

**DOCTOR: No.  
O: Oh, come on, Doctor, catch up. You can do it. Come on.  
DOCTOR: Oh!  
O: That's...that's my name, and that is why I chose it. Oh, so satisfying. Doctor, I did say look for the spymaster. Or should I say spy... Master? Hi.  
DOCTOR: You can't be.  
MASTER: Oh, I can be. I very much am.  
RYAN: So what's going on, then? He's not really O?  
MASTER: I'm her best enemy. Call me Master.**

"Best enemies? What does that even mean Doc?! You never really explained who he was." Graham asked, voice revealing an edge of frustration. It hadn't been the time to play twenty questions on the plane and afterwards she had been in a bad mood, but now they weren't in immediate danger he would really like some proper answers. The other two nodded alongside him, as did many of the other companions who didn't know the Master. The ones that knew the Master exchanged looks.

"She never does. He took over the Earth and practically murdered everyone before she put it right, but she still wouldn't tell us the full story." Martha crossed her arms, still sore (and rightfully so) about the whole Year That Never Was.

"You were the one who fixed everything that year Martha." The Doctor sighed, knowing she wouldn't be able to avoid answering the question but also not quite sure what to say – the Master was a very complicated topic, their whole relationship was very hard to explain. "The full story is thousands of years long and highly complex. It's very hard to understand if you haven't lived as long as us and especially if you don't know Gallifrey. He's known me longer than anyone, even the TARDIS."

The Master was watching, stuck between amusement and curiosity of what she would say. The smirk he directed at Martha was full of teeth however, compared to the almost gentle questioning grin he sent to the Doctor. Those that knew the Master watched her expectantly while those that didn't know him leaned more towards simple curiosity.

"You and Missy both said similar things to me and I know you explained a bit about being school friends but I don't think I would still care about an old friend if they became a mass murdering psychopath." Bill crossed her arms and glared at the Master. Missy had terrified her and the knowledge that it was a past version of him that had turned her into a Cyberman still hurt. The Doctor was just thankful she hadn't brought up the whole crush thing. That was an even more complicated matter (and embarrassing – she didn't want to explain that to Martha and Jack especially).

"It's more complicated than that Bill. I know you have all the reasons in the world to hate him. Bill, Clara, Martha and Jack especially but it's endlessly complicated." The Doctor braced herself but couldn't help glancing at the Master to check his expression. She would be sharing at least part of their story and she needed to know his thoughts but as ever he remained blank. She was on her own. "We've known each other since we were eight. Initiation on Gallifrey meant you were taken from your families and forced to look into a tear in space and time, a glimpse into the Time Vortex. It inspires some people, drives others mad and some run away. The Master had a signal planted in his head. A beat of four which drove him mad until just after the Year when we figured out the truth about it. On the other hand, I stared into the gap in time and space and it terrified me. I ran all those years ago and have been ever since."

She took a deep breath to steel herself before continuing. Her hands flying clumsily in the air to emphasise her story. "We were at the Academy together. Best friends since day one. Gallifrey isn't exactly a loving place especially if you are a child but we looked after each other for all 92 years of the academy. We were roommates and spent our whole time together, we were basically inseparable. He was the only person who really cared about me for a very long time."

She took a deep breath, steeling herself to continue, "Everything just seemed to go wrong shortly after we graduated. We made several decisions that hurt each other and when I eventually left, he chased after me. He keeps hurting me but ultimately, I still miss the little boy I spent decades running through the red grass with, skipping classes with. I miss the little boy who looked after me and cared for me when everyone else told me I was useless and would never amount to anything." Her friends and family listened intensely and remained silent at the end of her story, trying to absorb everything that had been said. She was grateful there was no comments on the way her voice started to crack at the end or the tears starting to form in her eyes.

"You proved them wrong. You were better than all of them." The Master spoke up, breaking the silence. "But you left out the part where you abandoned me and betrayed me, dear." The last bit was laced with venom, a sharp contrast to the almost reverent tone of his first comments.

"You betrayed me too! And you keep hurting the people I love." She shouted back, frustration and pain rising to a boiling point. She looked up at him pleadingly. "Don't you miss it? The trouble we found as kids? the Deca? Being friends? Our families?"

"Of course, I miss it. But they're all dead and you ran from them and me a long time ago."

"Well, you two clearly have a library full of issues." Amy spoke up ignoring her husband's disapproving/worried hiss of her name. "So many questions, but first of all - 92 years at the Academy? School, right? Also, what's the Deca?" The majority of other companions were giving her disbelieving looks, none were quite brave enough or willing to speak up and get between the two arguing Time Lords. River and Rory rolled their eyes in sync (you could really tell they were father and daughter) at their mother/wife's bluntness.

The Doctor gave her a sad smile. Happy for the distraction from the Master. "Yes, the Academy is essentially school, it's how you become a true Time Lord. It's that or you join the army really, there aren't many options. At the end of the academy, you choose your name. I hated it mostly, some of my friends made it okay but I was a terrible student." She ignored the Master's chuckle. That was an understatement to say the least. He had always been the perfect student, except from the trouble that she usually dragged him into. "The Deca was a group of students we became friends with later in the Academy. A group of ten of us. I think we drove our teachers insane with our chaos, that and all the questions they could never answer. A lot of the Deca became renegades like us but they're all dead now I think." She frowned, stuck in memories. Even if they had survived the war, they were very likely to be dead now or at least somewhere else in the timeline – chances weren't high that she would run into many of them again, and even if she did it wasn't likely to be a friendly reunion.

"Wait, you said you chose your name at the end of the Academy. So, did you use your real names?" Rory asked, curious despite his usually strong sense of self-preservation and sanity. He had always been one of the saner of her companions.

It was the Master who answered after sharing a long look with the Doctor, both cycling through expressions faster than they could be read. "On Gallifrey you have a real name which only your parents and then spouse know, occasionally a sibling or someone else but that's rare. They are long and hard to pronounce for most species, plus they wouldn't make much sense to any of you anyway. Then through your childhood you go by a nickname until you finish the Academy and choose a new name for you to be known by."

"But you two know each other's real names? You're not family, are you? Like secretly siblings this whole time or something. Also, can we know your nicknames. Please. I bet they're embarrassing." Bill queried. She was always too curious for her own good. The rest of the room watched eagerly as the pair tried to come to a decision, they all wanted to know.

"No Bill, we're not family. Our families hated each other in fact. Really disapproved of our friendship." The Doctor smiled at the young girl. She was always full of questions. She also avoided mentioning the real reason he knew her real name, outside of the whole childhood friends thing. She wasn't going to explain how they had been so much more, that was so much harder to explain and incredibly painful. Distraction was their best bet to escape the questions and theories she could practically see mentally forming in many of their heads.

She was definitely putting it off now but she always avoided talking about her life before she ran away. Even River only knew vague details and parts of the story, she hadn't even told her this name. Her real name yes, somehow that one hurt less; but the childhood nickname, no. Mentally reasoning it as not important but in truth it was because it was too painful and always brought back the memories associated with it. Plus, a part of her felt like it still belonged to the two little boys running through the red fields under the orange sky of home. Or what she had thought was her home. But that was a whole other depressive spiral.

"Later, Bill. Maybe later. They're really personal and no one has called me that since I left, since I lost my family." She felt a bit guilty putting it off, refusing to tell them, but the names were personal and she wanted to hang onto them for just a little bit longer. She would tell them eventually. She was ignoring the Master, too scared to see what he was thinking. Would he be smug she hadn't shared the names or annoyed? You could never tell with him.

The room delved into a contemplative silence, everyone trying to digest what they had heard. When no one spoke after a few minutes the video restarted.

**GRAHAM: Call you what?  
RYAN: Master?  
MASTER: Me and her, we go way, way, way back.  
DOCTOR: I met O.  
MASTER: I know.  
DOCTOR: Years ago.  
MASTER: I know! (laughs)**

"Oh, admit it Doctor. You liked O." The Master grinned, full of teeth.

"Of course, I did. You designed O so I would like him. Got my attention by helping me with an alien invasion then texted with me for years. Across three faces. Then you had fun revealing yourself." She shook her head almost to herself. "I should have known but I was blinded by how much he reminded me of you as a kid." Her statement seemed to take all the wind out of his sails as he practically collapsed back into his arm chair where he had been sitting forward, curled like a cat about to catch a mouse. Both were thinking back to the years of texting and all the messages sent between them. The Doctor had liked O and, though he would never admit it, the Master had liked being O for more reasons that getting one over the Doctor.

**RYAN: But there was an O at MI6. C was talking about him.  
MASTER: Yeah. A man very close to my heart. Well, in my pocket, actually. Do you want to see him? It's always good to keep a backup of one's work. Tissue compression, it's a classic. Oh.  
(He slowly pushes open a matchbox to reveal a tiny figure. That's a lot smaller than they used to be.)  
MASTER: Ambushed him on his way to work for his first day. Shrunk him, took his identity and set myself up in MI6. Surprisingly good staff canteen.  
(He throws the matchbox away.)**

The companions collectively winced as the real 'O' was thrown away like he was nothing, they didn't even know his real name. They were also very weary of his new (as far as they were aware) weapon. Only Jack had heard about the TCE from old UNIT files.

**MASTER: I have had a lot of fun.  
DOCTOR: I need to warn Barton! (she runs into the cockpit) He's not here! (and out again) Where's Barton? What have you done to him?  
MASTER: Barton!  
GRAHAM: Who's flying the plane?  
MASTER: Wrong question. Check the seat.  
(A timer counts down from 1.00 to 0.59)  
MASTER: Cockpit bomb. Short fuse. I can relate to that!**

"Yeah, you are a bit madder than Missy. Not that Missy wasn't terrifying." Bill muttered, not really intending for other to hear her but the Doctor did.

"He wasn't always so unhinged. He got worse when he ran out of regenerations around about my third or fourth, maybe fifth? face. Then it was a downhill spiral until we managed to get the drums out. Missy was more like he used to be." The Doctor tried to explain her face grim.

"You didn't get the drums out, dear. That was the Time Lords after you stopped them coming back. Gallifrey's always been the reason behind my madness, Gallifrey and you. Every time. Even now, my madness is because of you." The Master's eyes were wild as he glared at her.

"No, this madness is your own. I had no true part in it, at least this time. Gallifrey I agree with but what you discovered is on them and you can't blame me for the decisions you made because of it." She barely managed to spit her words out. Just because she was the Timeless Child or whatever did not mean he could blame his current madness on her. She had no willing part in it, she couldn't even remember it.

**(The Doctor tries to sonic the bomb.)  
MASTER: Now, do you really think that I would not make that sonic-proof, Doctor? Come on! Deadlock sealed. And I made sure - no parachutes on board.  
DOCTOR: There must be a way! Ah. Okay, okay.  
YASMIN: But where's Barton? We saw him coming in.  
MASTER: Called away before takeoff. By me! Stick with me, Yaz, cos I control... everything. Even these guys.  
(He whistles and clicks his fingers. Two light aliens appear.)  
MASTER: Yes!  
(The timer on the bomb is down to 0.08)  
DOCTOR: I can't do it! Get away!  
(She shuts the cockpit door just as the bomb explodes and knocks her out, decompressing the cabin.)  
MASTER: Yah! One last thing. Something you should know in the seconds before you die. Everything that you think you know... is a lie. Got you, finally.**

"What does that even mean?!" Surprisingly it was River than snapped. Her fists clenched tight, turning her knuckles white. The Doctor had never told her the full story of the Master, though she bet she knew more than the others in the room (baring maybe Jack), and the Doctor had tried her best to ensure the two never met. River was sick of seeing her wife hurt, especially by the Master who wasn't even making sense anymore – this was a who new scale of madness and she couldn't understand it.

"Oh yes. Do tell your little pets everything Doctor. Tell them the truth about Gallifrey's lies." The Master smirked sluggishly teetering on the edge of manic energy and sluggish carelessness.

She glared at him before turning to River pleadingly, even as she addressed the whole room. "You'll find out soon I imagine. It's what the TARDIS brought us here to see, I think. The Master went home and he found out a secret about the founders of Gallifrey that drove him insane. We should have both expected something, maybe not the details, but we both knew what Gallifrey was like and it wasn't nice. We've both found out endless horrors over the millennia about home but this secret was just the last straw." She frowned, refusing to say more. They would find out eventually and she wasn't looking forward to it.

**(He vanishes. The light creatures rush the Doctor and she disappears as Graham, Yasmin and Ryan hang onto seats and scream as the aeroplane goes down.)**

"I really need to stop going on planes. This is the third time the plane I have been on had blown up in recent-ish years." The Doctor sighed looking thoughtful. Her companions gave her concerned looks but were too scared to actually ask. Then another thought occurred to the Doctor. She turned to the Master. "Did you really expect that to kill me?"

He simply shrugged. "Not really, I can always hope though."

**[Alien realm]**

**DOCTOR: No. No, no, no, no, no.**

"Well at least you aren't on a crashing plane." Clara sighed. At least if the Doctor wasn't on the plane, she would be able to figure to a way to save her friends. She couldn't help but think about the Zygon invasion when Bonnie had blown up her (at the time - his) plane and she had been forced to watch.

"Gee, thanks." Ryan snarked though it didn't really hold any bite, he understood what she meant. Clara just offered an apologetic smile but Ryan just smiled.

The whole group was nervous, wanting to know what happened and how they got out of the situation. Clearly, they had, as the group were all here but it didn't make it any less worrying. Especially adding in the Master's presence.

Whatever the secret the Tardis had brought them here to see, things were heating up. Especially between the Mater and Doctor – there was some real tension there and they seemed to be the only ones aware of what they were here to see but neither was eager to share.

They weren't given any time to contemplate what they had just seen before 'Spyfall Part 2' showed up on the screen. The story was continuing.


	6. Spyfall Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone,  
> Thanks again for all the support, I really love hearing all your comments.  
> Just to warn you I typed this one out quicker than I normally do (as busy at moment) and am now very sleepy so sorry for any mistakes/spelling mistakes etc  
> As normal, next part will be up next weekend - we're getting close I promise.  
> Thanks for everything  
> Robyn

No one spoke as they waited for the next episode to start, screen still displaying the words 'Spyfall Part 2', all on edge with the mess of what was going on. They had the current companions in a crashing plane, the Doctor alone in an alien realm and the Master planning to take over the world and refusing to share secrets. They all wanted to know what happened, even the fam, as they weren't sure what had gone done between the Master and Doctor which had made her so upset.

**[Alien realm]**

**DOCTOR: Hi, Doctor. Oh! Hi. How are you doing? Good. Just talking to myself to prove I'm still alive. I was wondering. What would you say to the others if they were here? Don't panic.**

**[Aeroplane]**

**GRAHAM: Yaz! Hold on!  
(But they can't hold on. Ryan falls and spots a small plaque with his name on it.)  
RYAN: What?  
DOCTOR [OC]: Of course, I'm usually saying it as much to myself as I am to them.**

"I'm not sure if I wanted to know that or not." Ryan looked confused, they all kind of knew that she wasn't always as calm as she pretended but still it was nice to think that one of them stayed calm and reasonable.

Most of the other people in the room were occupied by the plaque, hoping that it would save the current companions from the unfortunate situation the were in.

**[Alien realm]**

**DOCTOR: Always a good reminder when you're alone, in the unknown, all hope lost.**

The companions just all looked at the Doctor who was determinedly watching herself on screen, pretending to analyse the alien surroundings. She really wasn't happy with what everyone was about to see, and they were getting closer and closer to the reveal of her 'true heritage'. She was terrified and furious and almost every ugly emotion in-between, she didn't know how everyone would react and she wasn't excited to find out. But it's not like she had much choice.

**[Aeroplane]**

**(There are other small plaques further along. Ryan Sinclair and a left arrow.)  
RYAN: No way.**

**[Alien realm]**

**(She tries the sonic screwdriver.)  
DOCTOR: Won't work in here. Why not? Could be a clue. A clue to what?  
(A bolt of energy zips past.)  
DOCTOR: What was that? Interesting. Useful, maybe. Another! Even better. What are you? Pathways? Signals? Synapses? I could be inside something. Oh, I hope it's not a liver. I hate being inside livers. People always get so offended. What are you doing in my liver again?**

That drew her some strange looks. "How many times have you been in someone's liver to know that?" Rose asked exasperated.

The Doctor shuddered slightly. "Too many." Everyone looked at her bemused but decided not to question it further, it was the Doctor – she was a professional at getting herself into weird situations.

**ADA [OC]: Hello? Hello? Hello?**

**[Aeroplane]**

**(And the next plaque.)  
RYAN: 4C seat pocket.  
(Which contains a handy piece of paper entitled - How To Land A Plane Without A Cockpit - with diagrams.)  
RYAN: No way. Hey! Hey! I've got a plan.**

"Okay that's far too convenient." Amy declared before turning to the Doctor. "How did you manage that?"

"I have a time machine remember?" The Doctor grinned, ignoring the complaints of her three current companions (who definitely remember how she almost forgot about the plane). She just offered them another grin which they just rolled their eyes at.

**[Alien realm]**

**(Running.)  
DOCTOR: Can you hear me? I'm trying to find you, somehow. Ah!  
(A young woman in early 19th clothes - just pre-Victorian.)  
ADA: Please be assured all this will pass. I shall be recovered momentarily.**

"Who is that?" Donna exclaimed, exasperated and frustrated with all the secrets. Everyone else also looked confused, they didn't exactly expect to find someone else in the weird alien realm, let alone someone dressed like they were from the 19th century.

The Doctor smiled, with just a hint of sadness. "You'll find out." Donna just sighed dramatically at that announcement. The Master just raised an eyebrow at the Doctor who grinned smugly at him, he knew perfectly well who her latest human friend was and she may have only been around a short time but she was very annoying.

**[Aeroplane]**

**GRAHAM: Open panel in floor.  
RYAN: What does it say next?  
GRAHAM: Connect the cable to your phone.  
(He does, and the Doctor appears on a screen nearby.)  
DOCTOR [on screen]: Welcome aboard.  
GRAHAM: You are kidding! How's she doing that?**

The Doctor just grinned wildly and sang, "Time Machine!" fondly. Graham just shook his head at her, he'd been far too busy panicking about the crashing plane like a normal person at the time.

The Master rolled his eyes, annoyed at how she was running his brilliant plans to kill her favourite little pets. The Doctor sensing his train of thoughts (he wasn't sure if she actually could hear his thoughts or if she just knew him too well – he didn't want to know the answer to that question) glared at him for a minute before purposely turning back to the screen.

**DOCTOR [on screen]: I realise you have questions.  
GRAHAM: Where are you? We're going to die!  
DOCTOR [on screen]: First of all, you're not going to die. Second of all, don't talk back to the screens. Obviously, I'm a recording and I can't hear you. Third, don't panic. Especially you, Graham.  
GRAHAM: I'm not panicking!  
DOCTOR [on screen]: Yes, you were. And I did just say don't talk back to the screens.**

Everyone in the room laughed at that, even Graham. Both Ryan and Yaz nudged him fondly, they'd definitely been too busy panicking to appreciate it at the time, but they were safe now and could see the humour in the situation. Graham was a bit too predictable at times.

**GRAHAM: Eh?  
DOCTOR [on screen]: Haven't got long. The bomb in the cockpit knocked out the signals from the computer to the engines. But the computers in this aircraft aren't in the cockpit, they're under the cabin floor. Ryan, the app should have opened.  
RYAN: What app? Eh?  
(Phone - Hiya Ryan! Opening - Piloting Made Easy.)**

"That sounds like a very useful app." Bill said cheerfully, turning to grin at the current companions while Nardole rolled his eyes and the Doctor grinned nodding her head.

**RYAN: How was this installed on me phone?  
DOCTOR [OC]: Use it to communicate with the engines via the aircraft wiring. By the way, you have shut the cockpit door, haven't you? That's vital. Cockpit doors are designed to be incredibly robust.  
GRAHAM: I'll do it!  
DOCTOR [on screen]: Now pay attention. Do this fast. I'm worried you might lose me if there's a power surge.  
RYAN: Lost her.**

"Well, that's just typical." Martha shook her head, the other companions seemed to agree with her.

**YASMIN: Press the cursor up! We've got to stop this plane from going down!  
RYAN: Up, up, up!  
(Graham gets the cockpit door closed, then the plane tilts up.)  
GRAHAM: Too many ups! Level out! Level out!  
(He goes sliding on his back down the fuselage.)**

The room broke out into laughter at the comedic, almost cartoony, sight of Graham sliding down the plane aisle.

**[Alien realm]**

**DOCTOR: When you say recovered, what do you mean?**

"Oh, back to the Doctor." Clara muttered, analysing the screen, curious to see who the Doctor had met and how they had escaped.

**ADA: The paralysis will fade.  
DOCTOR: You don't look paralysed.  
ADA: Not in this realm, but in my earthly aspect.  
DOCTOR: Right. What's your name?  
ADA: I am Ada.  
DOCTOR: And what do you think this realm is, Ada?  
ADA: I believe it to be my mind. Though I have not met another here before.  
DOCTOR: Then what do you think I am?  
ADA: I presume you are a consequence of my thoughts.  
DOCTOR: No. I'm the Doctor, and I'm very real. But you've been here before?  
ADA: Many times. When the paralysis subsides, I find myself fully back in my body, restored in the physical realm. If you are real, do you have your own solution for egress from here?  
DOCTOR: No exit strategy.  
(Some energy bolts crackle around.)  
DOCTOR: Before I leave, I need to work out what this place is. Oh! Those fragments of light or energy, why are they surrounding you?  
ADA: They are always here with me. They place a word in my mind. Kasaavin?  
(One of the light creatures appears.)  
DOCTOR: Ada, step away.  
ADA: Do not be afraid. This is my guardian.  
DOCTOR: This is their realm. This is where they're from. But how did you bring us here? Unless... You can't be. But you must be. What, gateways? We go through you and arrive in your realm? I say realm. It's not a planet, not really a void. A separate dimension? Are we beyond our... my universe?  
ADA: Little of what you are saying makes sense to me, but I am concerned you'll be marooned here. When my guardian has returned...  
DOCTOR: They're not your guardians.  
ADA: I can offer you my hand. We may leave this place together.  
DOCTOR: I don't think that will work.  
ADA: How will you know if you do not try? Decide, Doctor.  
(Ada holds out her hand, the Doctor takes and they both vanish.)**

"At least you're not in the creepy alien place anymore." Rose decided, gaining nods of agreement from most of the rooms occupents.

**[Aeroplane]**

**GRAHAM: You got us level, Ryan. Good lad.  
RYAN: I can fly a plane! Can't ride a bike, but I can fly a plane. Hey, look. Barton must have programmed in a flight pattern before he left the cockpit. Looks like this app's keying into it.  
YASMIN: How did the Doctor do this?  
GRAHAM: No idea. But now we've got to stay on a plane without a cockpit till it decides where to land.**

"At least that's one less thing to have to worry about, but it means you'll probably have trouble meeting you when you land." Mickey said, turning to watch the current companions' reactions.

"Yeah, it meant we didn't have the chance to mess anything up but trouble was absolutely waiting for us." Yaz nodded I vague agreement, sharing a look with Graham and Ryan – their time on the run was short but definitely memorable.

**[Master's Tardis]**

**(The homestead is whirling through the Vortex - rather like Ashildr and Clara's Tardis is an American Diner...)  
MASTER: You should've seen me. I was great! She did not have a clue.**

The room collectively turned to glare at the Master who just preened like a peacock, very smug and unapologetic. The Doctor was the only one not glaring at him, she was till glaring at the screen (analysing his Tardis) but she didn't manage to prevent the vague feeling of hurt-anger-frustration-pain going across their still partially open mind link. She clamped down on it as soon as she realised she was transmitting and shut the bond as tight as she could, refusing to look at him or accept his attempts to reopen the link at the minute.

**BARTON: This better work.  
MASTER: Final calibrations, and then we'll be ready. All our efforts will come together in a moment of beauty.  
(The silver figure in the case from Barton's office is there.)  
MASTER: We'll all have what we want.  
BARTON: So you know, I don't appreciate last-minute changes of plan as I'm about to take off.  
MASTER: A little chaos is a wonderful thing. Allowed me to swat those flies.**

The room glared at the Master again for that comment who just rolled his eyes this time. If they were going to garae at him every time he did something or made a comment, it was going to get very tiring very quickly.

**(Barton's phone beeps.)  
BARTON: I've just been notified. My plane's about to land at its programmed destination.  
MASTER: They can't have survived.**

This time it was the Doctor who looked smug while the Master glared at her for ruining his perfectly laid plans (like normal).

**BARTON: You told me everything was foolproof. What's gone wrong?  
MASTER: Watch your tone, Mister Barton. I'm not your employee.  
(An alarm goes off. The Master bangs his head against the console.)  
MASTER: How has she got there?  
BARTON: What's happened?  
MASTER: Nothing I can't deal with. I'll drop you at your plane. You sort out her friends, I'll deal with the Doctor.**

"Plan not going as well as you would like?" The Doctor decided to try her luck by prodding the Master (not literally, though that was tempting too), backed up by her former companions. Jack looked particularly happy that she was making life difficult for the Master. The Master just ignored her but she managed to spot his annoyance before he schooled his expression.

**[The Royal Gallery of Practical Science]**

**(A scientific exposition is in full sales mode.)  
DOCTOR: Ah. I'm getting 19th century? Early, with a touch of mid. Top notes... London. Steam? Why am I getting steam?  
MAN: Nations shall cower in fear as my steam gun fires one thousand bearings per minute.  
MAN 2: See the mouse survive inside our revolutionary diving bell!  
AMERICAN: Touch the magneto. Powerful shocks.  
MAN 3: The perfect modern defence, a grenade for the home. Intruders repelled with force.  
ADA + DOCTOR: It worked!**

"So, you're stuck in the 19th century with no way home. This keeps getting better and better." Amy said. "At least you're not still in that creepy place though."

**BABBAGE: Miss Gordon, are you recovered?  
(He helps her up off the floor.)  
ADA: I am. Thank you. Me too.  
DOCTOR: Thanks for asking.  
BABBAGE: Madam, this gallery is full of the extraordinary, but your apparition just now was... impossible. How did you do it?  
DOCTOR: Er... I am bound never to reveal my secrets. Go about your day, knowing that you may tell people you were privileged to witness the Marvellous Apparating Man! Lady. Apparating Lady! Every time.  
(The people applaud.)  
DOCTOR: The year, right now, would be what?  
BABBAGE: The year, madam, remains 1834.  
DOCTOR: Yes. (steps aside to soliliquise) Marooned in the 19th century. Hold on in there, fam.**

**[Airfield]**

**BARTON: And there was no one on board?  
GROUND STAFF: No, sir. It appears the craft landed itself via automation. Sir, we have had this conversation before. If you're going to be testing these sort of systems, we really need to be kept fully in the loop. I'm going to have to do some tricky smoothing-over with the Civil Aviation Authority.**

**[Hangar]**

**(Ryan, Yasmin and Graham are hiding, watching and whispering.)  
YASMIN: How'd he get here so quick?  
RYAN: I dunno.**

"Well at least that was explained." Yaz sighed mostly to herself. Looking back, they had definitely been lucky to avoid Barton. The uncomfortable looks on Graham and Ryan's faces said they agreed.

**GRAHAM: Where is here, anyway?  
(Ryan checks his phone.)  
RYAN: Britain. We're home. Almost. Essex?  
GRAHAM: Essex. That is my manor. We are golden. What do we do, though?**

"At least you are on familiar turf." Rory said, gaining nods of agreement form many of the others in the room. Small silver linings despite being in serious trouble.

**YASMIN: Figure out what Barton and O are planning. That's what the Doctor'd do.  
GRAHAM: Yeah.  
YASMIN: If she was here.  
GRAHAM: No, she'll be all right, Yaz. Just got to believe.  
YASMIN: You didn't see that place.  
RYAN: Hey, still got access to Barton's diary. He's giving a keynote speech in London tomorrow night.  
GRAHAM: That is where we have got to get to.  
RYAN: Yeah, without him knowing we're still alive.  
YASMIN: So let's get moving.**

"So, to summarise; you are on your own being chased by a madman allied with a creepy alien race but you are on home turf with the starts of a plan." Clara declared. "That sounds familiar." That drew some laughs from people, something similar had definitely occurred to all of them at some point.

**[Airfield]**

**(Barton makes a call.)  
BARTON: I need tracking intel on three people. As soon as you can! These are their names.**

"And the universe like to remind us that things can always get worse." Amy nodded resigned.

**[The Royal Gallery of Practical Science]**

**ADA: Now we are safe, Doctor, will you reveal a little more concerning how you came to be  
(The Doctor touches the magneto and gets a shock.)  
DOCTOR: Ow!**

The room turned to look at her. "What exactly were you expecting to happen Sweetie? You really need to stop messing with things." River shook her head exasperated with her wife's habits but when faced with the Doctor's put and sad eyes gave her a lovesick smile. She really had missed her wife, but that didn't mean they wouldn't be having a serious conversation later, several conversations from the way everything was going at the minute.

**ADA: ..in that place and, indeed, who you are?  
DOCTOR: I'm a traveller in Space and Time. I was in the middle of dealing with a planet-threatening conspiracy two centuries from now when I was attacked by an old enemy and exiled to the place where I found you. Oh!**

"I really don't think anyone is just going to believe that Doctor, you sound absolutely insane." Rose shook her head.

Donna snorted before adding. "She is insane!" That drew several nods of agreement and laughs from the group.

"Hey! Actually, that's probably true but anyway I thought Ad might believe me as we came from the Kasaavin's realm." The Doctor started to protest before deciding they were right about the insane part, she still tried to explain her reasoning.

**(The Doctor picks up the grenade, then hands it off to Ada.)  
ADA: I am not a fool, Doctor.  
DOCTOR: And I'm not treating you as one. This conspiracy involves those creatures you think are your guardians. They're in alliance with a renegade from my home planet and a 21st-century tech inventor. 186 years from now, they're assassinating spies, and I am stuck here without my Tardis, and I need to find my way back before...**

"I'm not sure continuing the explanation is really helping." Yaz watched the pair on screen. She really wanted to know what had gone down between the Doctor and the Master when they weren't with them. Whatever had happened had upset the Doctor and knocked her off her groove for a while plus what had happened with the Cybermen.

**(Enter the Master, looking more like a Mister Hyde than anything else.)  
MASTER: Ladies and gentlemen! See the incredible shrinking device! Want to be smaller, ladies? You can!  
(He zaps a nearby woman into a tiny doll. Panic ensues.)**

"What is that thing?" Martha asks horrified, glaring at the Master who bared his teeth at her in an amalgamation of a shark's grin.

However, before he could go on any rambled speech about his toy the Doctor answered first, to his obvious annoyance. "His TCE - Tissue Compression Eliminator. Does what it says on the tin. He used it a long time ago, haven't seen it for several centuries if not millennia." She mused with a grimace; it hadn't exactly been her favourite of his weapons – not that she liked any of them. Jack was the only one that seemed to know anything about it – likely because of Torchwood and UNIT files.

**MASTER: Who's next? You, sir.  
DOCTOR: Go, Ada. You too. Go!  
(The Master holds out the miniature people.)  
MASTER: Ah, the happy couple.  
(And throws them away.)  
DOCTOR: I said go.  
MASTER: Do not move! Hands on heads. Hands on heads!  
DOCTOR: Let them go, and you can have me.  
MASTER: I've got you anyway. Did you just move? Did you move?  
WOMAN: No!  
MASTER: Oh, my mistake. Sorry. Sorry. (he shrinks the woman) When I kill them, Doctor, it gives me a little buzz. Right here, in the hearts. It's like... How would I describe it? It's like... It's like knowing I'm in the right place, doing what I was made for.**

"You're completely unhinged." Martha practically spat out at him. It was moments like this that made it easy to remember he was the being that had tortured her family and destroyed the Earth for a year and she hated the reminder. Mickey curled his arm around her to offer comfort, they spent long nights discussing the Year that Never Was and he knew how much it still weighed on her mind all these years later.

Jack's knuckled were white with how hard he was clenching them and the rest of the room was glaring fiercely at the Master, watching him kill people ruthlessly was a stark reminder of his true nature despite how he behaved in the room with them. He was just leaning back in his chair, grin full of teeth, seemingly unaffected by their glares.

**DOCTOR: What do you want?  
MASTER: Kneel. Kneel, or they all die. (she kneels) Call me by my name.**

Jack launched himself off his seat before anyone could stop him, eyes dark and anger prominent. He looked ready to punch the Master's smug grin off his face. The Doctor leapt to her feet, moving between the pair, her back to the Master as she tried to stop everything coming to violence (not that she didn't want to punch the Master – she absolutely did – but it wouldn't help anything).

She put her hand out gently to Jack's arms staring him down silently as she stopped him from reaching the Master. His eyes softened upon seeing her but his fury at the Master was still easily noticeable. He was furious at the Master for so many reasons, it wasn't helping that the secret the TARDIS wanted to show them, the secret that had the Doctor so distressed, was linked to him. Watching him make her kneel like that was just the last straw.

"Jack please." The Doctor asked softly, trying to steer him gently back to his seat next to Rose. Her words seemed to take all the wind out of his sails and as he let her guide him back to the sofa, she got a glimpse of the rest of her companions' expressions. They all looked furious, in a way she very rarely if ever saw. River made her way to her feet to join the pair still moving, unnoticed by the Doctor, her expression matched Jack's, furious with the Master and fed up off all the secrets.

As they moved back to the sofa, Jack seemed to have a silent conversation with Rose who was watching their approach carefully. She moved off the sofa, shifting to a beanbag close to Martha, Mickey and Donna's sofa. Jack and River shared a nod before pulling the Doctor down between them on the sofa, keeping a hand on her arms either side of her.

"Hey!" The Doctor complained but she wasn't given the opportunity to escape and made the mistake of looking at the River and Jack who were wearing similar pleading looks which she couldn't resist. She sighed but resigned herself to being stuck between the pair for some time.

She could see the Master watching from the other side of the room, now in direct line of sight, expression deceptively blank. It surprised her slightly, she expected him to be smug about her companions' reactions to making her kneel but he was schooling his expression. She pushed a feeling of curiosity-question-surprise at him but got nothing back. She was about to give up trying to get a reaction for the moment but as she settled on the sofa, making herself more comfort, with Jack and River still in touch with her – although the grip had turned to gentle comforting hands on her arms for now- she managed to catch a feeling of anger-jealousy-frustration-annoyance from him. It puzzled her for a second before she noticed his glances at Jack and River's hands on her and everything became clear – he was jealous of them being so close to her. An uncomfortable feeling settled in the pit of her stomach, she wasn't clear how to feel about his jealousy and purposely schooled her face, turning purposely back to the screen.

**DOCTOR: Master.  
MASTER: Beg your pardon?  
DOCTOR: Master.  
MASTER: Can't hear you, love.  
DOCTOR: Master.**

" _You know I love it when you say my name, love."_ The Master projected across their mind link, a feeling of smugness prominent, he'd clearly recovered from (or hidden better) his bout of jealousy.

She hesitated, unable to decide what she wanted to answer with or even if she wanted to answer. She could feel the concern of River and Jack on either side of her, both knowing that she could communicate with the Master through their link. _"Why?"_

Her answer seemed to confuse him. _"Why what, darling?"_

" _Everything. Why are you doing this? Why make me kneel?"_ The questions poured out, unsure of what she meant herself.

" _I love the chaos. The destruction. It calms the anger almost as much as yo-."_ His thoughts abruptly cut off, as he took a dep breath to stop himself getting so worked up, eyes a pit of madness. She could have almost sworn that he was about to say 'almost as much as you do'. He refused to answer any of her attempts to re-initiate contact. Ignoring all the furious glares from her companions and her almost concerned one, he stared at the screen.

The Doctor did her own ignoring attempts, not knowing how to or wanting to deal with Jack and River's inevitable questions and concerns. The pair knew more about her and the Master's relationship than probably almost anyone else in the universe (not including several people from Gallifrey but they were all dead, she thought bitterly, so they didn't exactly count anymore) and she knew they were worried for her but it just made her want to shuffle in her seat, unable to deal with the emotions and concern, feeling undeserving of it all.

**MASTER: When I arrange for your death, I expect you to stay dead. How did you escape? How did you end up here?**

The Doctor focussed on the Master. "You try to kill me almost every time we meet and it never takes. Why did you think this would be different?" She hesitated before continuing. "Especially knowing what you know." Neither of them really knew how many regenerations she had, how many the Time Lords had 'gifted' her after Trenzalore but now, knowing about her 'true heritage' neither of them had any idea how long she would, could, live.

"I'm allowed to be hopeful that it will take." The Master grumbled.

"I thought I was the hopeful idiot." The Doctor decided to push her luck, despite Jack squeezing her arm to tell her to quit while she was ahead. He hated the Master but couldn't deny that the Time Lord still made him nervous at times – being tortured and killed over and over for a year would do that to someone.

The Master didn't answer, turning back to the screen with the twitch of one eye. The Doctor couldn't hide a grin but gained a nudge from River as a warning. Honestly, she wasn't going to survive between the two of them, especially knowing what was coming.

**DOCTOR: Ah, you don't know. You're not in control of these creatures. I bet you don't even know what they are.  
MASTER: They're called the Kasaavin, and we have interests in common.  
DOCTOR: You, Barton, and a race you barely know? That's one uneasy alliance. Trust each other, do you?**

Bill perked up, having noticed what the Doctor was doing. "You're acting as a distraction and getting him to tell you information at the same time. Well done, old man." The Doctor grinned at the young girl, who grinned back.

The Master grumbled slightly to himself. He'd been far too busy gloating and celebrating his victory over the Doctor that he didn't notice he'd been giving up information and what the Doctor's latest little human had been up to.

**(Ada is moving, slowly.)  
MASTER: Oh, completely. By the way, I bring news from home.  
ADA: Down, Doctor!  
(The steam machine gun rattles.)  
MAN: This is not designed for use by a young lady!  
ADA: Nothing is. And yet I find myself more than capable.**

"Oh, I definitely like her." River grinned, as did most of the other women in the room, Doctor included.

**(One of the bearings hits the Master in the right upper arm.)**

"I like her even more now." Jack laughed, happy to see the Master get put in his place and for the chance for the Doctor to escape his clutches.

**ADA: All of you, out!  
DOCTOR: Ada, I really do not approve.**

"Doctor." Came from several of the companions almost in sync. Martha was the first to continue. "He'd killed several people and was absolutely going to hurt more, let alone what he would do to you. Ada injured him, nothing serious and it gave you the chance to escape which you desperately needed."

The Doctor was about to protest but was beaten to the punch by Clara. "She's right and you absolutely know it you idiot. Don't even think about denying it." The Doctor just sighed, knowing they were right but still not happy about it.

**MASTER: Run all you like, Doctor. You won't get far without a Tardis.  
(Ada pulls the pin on the grenade.)  
DOCTOR: Don't have a Tardis.  
(Ada bowls the grenade at the Master.)  
DOCTOR: Do have an Ada.**

"Oh, so the steam gun thing was bad but a grenade is okay?!" Nardole grumbled from his place on a beanbag.

The Doctor just rolled her eyes and said, "Shut up Nardole."

River elbowed her in the side. "Be nice, he's right." The Doctor just muttered to herself, she hadn't really meant it and Nardole knew that.

**[Street]**

**RYAN: It's hard not to stand out in this gear.  
GRAHAM: Yeah.  
YASMIN: We've been on a night out. We're just coming home, that's all. Nothing weird about that.  
(Their phones ring.)  
BARTON: Hello, friends. Or should I say plane thieves? What, did you think I wouldn't be able to track you? We have your numbers, e-mails, GPS. I even know how many more stamps you need for a free coffee. So close, Ryan. Or should I say Logan? Look up.  
(Their images appear on an advertising screen saying Wanted. Do Not Approach. Report any sighting to your local police or call Crime Prevention on 0800 999 999)**

"Oh, that is really bad. They know you were lying and everyone is now after you. Just because things couldn't get worst." Amy declared, things were just getting worse and worse and the Doctor wasn't even in the right century to help. Ryan, Graham and Yaz just shared a look.

**BARTON: Your passports have been revoked, your bank cards are frozen. We have a record of everyone you know - friends, family, colleagues, everyone you ever followed on social media. Of course, we have cameras everywhere, and now you're wanted for hijacking. Go on, go off-grid. See how long you last.  
(Ryan drops his phone and jumps on it.)  
RYAN: Hey, smash your phones now.**

"Smart." Bill nodded approvingly; she'd watched enough movies to know that getting rid of their phones was the best idea. Ryan grinned, proud of himself for not panicking straight away.

**BARTON: Aw! Yasmin Khan is phoning her mum.  
(Graham stomps on his phone.)  
GRAHAM: He don't half go on.  
NAJIA [OC]: Yaz?  
YASMIN: Hello. It's me. Listen, don't listen to anything you hear.  
(Ryan grabs her phone and smashes it.)  
YASMIN: Ryan!**

Ryan sighed, turning to Yaz. "Sorry Yaz." They may have needed to smash their phones but still he had just grabbed it out of her hand while she was talking to her family.

"No, it's okay Ryan. I understand and you did the right thing. I think I just panicked a bit and wanted my family to know what was going on. I should have been better prepared with my police training but I just panicked."

Ryan squeezed her arm in comfort and Graham turned to her. "Don't beat yourself up love, it was a terrible situation and none of us were prepared for it. You're allowed to panic, no matter how much training you've had, it was still pretty scary." Yaz offered a small smile but didn't say anything, letting the video continue.

**RYAN: You're not hearing. We have to go dark.  
GRAHAM: Run.**

Martha and Jack grimaced, shooting sympathetic looks at the three. "I hope you did better than we did on the run. Got caught pretty quickly and only Martha escaped." Jack said.

"To be fair, we went to them they didn't technically find us." The Doctor debated, gaining identical looks from Martha and Jack that said 'really'.

**[Babbage's home]**

**BABBAGE: Surely we must alert the authorities?  
DOCTOR: The authorities won't be any help.  
ADA: Besides, what would we tell them, Mister Babbage?  
BABBAGE: I have no concept, Ada. I cannot explain any of what I have seen today.  
DOCTOR: Babbage? Charles Babbage?**

"Has it really taken you this long to realise?" The Master questioned, smug that she hadn't figured it out immediately.

"Oh, shut up. You didn't even know who she was." The Doctor rolled her eyes at him. The rest of the room watched on confused, barring the fam and River who knew/had figured out who Ada was.

**BABBAGE: Yes.  
DOCTOR: So this must be...  
BABBAGE: My Difference Engine.  
DOCTOR: Your Difference Engine!  
BABBAGE: Oh. You...you know of it?  
DOCTOR: Er, just in passing.**

The room laughed at that. Sometimes it was difficult being a time travel, especially when it concerned things you weren't supposed to know about.

**(She sets the lovely brass cogwheels inscribed with numbers moving.)  
BABBAGE: As yet unfinished. It will count and perform quadratic equations.  
DOCTOR: If you're Charles Babbage, then you're not just any old Ada. You're Ada Lovelace, daughter of Lord Byron and Annabella Milbanke, one of the great minds.**

"Wait Byron? We met him during the chaos with the Lone Cyberman. That's his daughter?" Yaz asked curious, the Doctor had told them about Ada but she hadn't realised that Ada was Byron's daughter.

"Yep." The Doctor grinned.

"Wait you met Byron?" Clara asked, intrigued.

"Are you jealous? I think you've made out with plenty of literacy geniuses, you don't need to add Bryon to that list." The Doctor grinned.

"Doctor, I've always wondered. That poem he wrote, 'Darkness', I think. Was that about you?" Jack asked, looking as if he already knew the answer. The Doctor just blinked at him.

"What makes you think that?"

"You tend to leave an impression on everyone you meet and the last line of the poem is 'She was the Universe'. It does suggest your influence." Jack continued, raising an eyebrow, the rest of the room watched entranced by the conversation.

Ryan, Graham and Yaz shared a glance. "He did seem a bit obsessed with you at the end Doctor; I wouldn't be surprised." Yaz added with a shrug, for once the Doctor seemed speechless.

**ADA: I am Ada Gordon, madam.  
DOCTOR: 1834. Of course you are. Well, maybe one day, who knows, you might meet a nice Earl. This changes everything! This isn't an accident. Ada Lovelace in Babbage's house? You're clues. You're important.**

"Always with messing up history, honestly sweetie." River sighed; fake exasperation clear in her voice as she smiled at the Doctor.

She ignored the Doctor's retuning comment of, "it's not like you're any better."

**BABBAGE: I'm delighted to hear it, madam.  
DOCTOR: Yes, it's not good news. What's that?  
BABBAGE: This is the Silver Lady. A revolutionary piece of engineering. But, like all great ladies, she is as much for decoration as for purpose.  
(The figurine that Barton and the Master have.)**

"Okay so that's the thing Barton had, so clearly important in all of this." Martha said, trying to peace everything together, like most of the room who weren't apart of the adventure.

"Got it in one, Martha." The Doctor grinned, proud.

"But you're not going to tell us what it does are you?" Martha grinned back. The Doctor just grinned wider and looked back to the screen.

**DOCTOR: How did you come by this?  
BABBAGE: It was a gift, delivered by a young man who said it was a token of appreciation from his master.**

The room turned to look at the Master, a mix of glares and expressions that clearly said 'really?' He just preened under the attention.

**DOCTOR: Was it. What does it do?  
BABBAGE: It... moves. And on occasion, projects.  
(The Doctor looks at the notes and sketches in Babbages book, which includes a light creature.)  
DOCTOR: On occasion projects something like this?  
ADA: M... Mister Babbage, you have seen the same form.  
BABBAGE: Madam, those are my private notes.  
DOCTOR: The Master and the Kasaavin. What are they doing?  
BABBAGE: Er, do you understand her, Miss Gordon?  
ADA: Not in the least, Mister Babbage.**

The room laughed. "Well at least that's normal." Donna announced, drawing more laughter.

**DOCTOR: Ada, when was your first paralysis?  
ADA: I was 13 years old. That is when I was first transported to the place where we met, and I first saw an apparition.  
DOCTOR: And over the years, the paralysis recurs with the same effect?  
ADA: Yes. No doctor has ever been able to diagnose the cause.  
DOCTOR: Well, this Doctor may be able to. An apparition, from this machine.**

"Getting a bit confident there, Doctor?" Amy grinned teasingly. The Doctor just rolled her eyes at the Scot, but couldn't resist smiling.

**BABBAGE: Correct.  
DOCTOR: So, they take you, Ada, multiple times from here and they study you in their dimension, which means they can't be in this dimension for long. But maybe they gain an ally, a mastermind who builds them a machine which stabilises them in this world long enough for them to send spies and to spread their work and start a plan. 'Cause I've seen the map in his hut. Multiple Earths. Except not. Not multiple Earths. Multiple time periods. These creatures aren't just alien spies on Earth, they're spies through Time, through history, starting with you.**

"Honestly that's a relief. Time I can deal with, the whole multiverse thing is far more confusing." Bill declared, Eyebrows had made her write several essays on the multiverse and similar theories and she still didn't understand all of it.

Most of the room seemed to agree with her, they were all mostly used to time travel and space travel at this point, other realities were a bit out of their comfort zone. Mickey, Rose and the Doctor shared a glance remembering their time on another world – it hadn't gone particularly well the first time and Mickey had eventually returned home and now Rose was the one stuck in another reality.

**(The Doctor sonicks the figurine.)  
ADA: What are you doing?  
DOCTOR: The man from the Adelaide Gallery will be coming for me. I need to get back to where I came from, find my friends and figure this out.  
(A Kasaavin appears.)  
DOCTOR: And I've only got one way out of here. The same way I came in. If I use my sonic on the Silver Lady, I might be able to force this creature to throw me back to the 21st century. I hope.  
ADA: If this is your plan, it is fraught with risk.**

Rory sighed. "Aren't all her plans?" His question was rhetorical, the answer was clearly yes, but his wife felt the need to grin like a maniac and shout 'Yes' to the rest of the room, causing an outbreak of giggles.

**DOCTOR: Where there's risk, there's hope. Deep breath.  
(Ada takes the Doctor's hand.)  
DOCTOR: Ada, no!  
(And they both vanish. Babbage drinks a large brandy.)**

Jack grinned. "Love his answer to dealing with the unusual."

**[Building site]**

**(For a new housing estate.)  
GRAHAM: No one living here yet. No CCTV, no neighbourhood watch. The one on the end. Go on.**

"Very clever, well done you lot." The Doctor grinned at her current companions. They'd told her what had happened to them while she was gone but hadn't gone into lots of detail and she'd been a bit focused on the Master's parting message.

The rest of the room (bar the Master) seemed to agree offering nods and words of congratulations/smart thinking to the pride of the three current companions.

**(Inside a breezeblock shell with plastic sheeting at the windows and some handy work benches to sit on.)  
YASMIN: What if the Doctor doesn't come back? What if we never see her again?  
RYAN: We keep going. Stop Barton. Get rid of those creatures, whatever they are.  
GRAHAM: Ryan's right. We carry on doing what the Doc would want us to do.**

The Doctor sighed, taking a deep breath before looking at the three of them. "I'm sorry for worrying you all but I'm really proud of you. You did amazing. For the record though, yes, I'd love for the trouble to be dealt with but what I'd really want? I'd really want for you to all be safe and happy."

The three exchanged glances before turning to the Doctor as one. "Thanks Doc, it's great to hear. For the record though? We'd want you to be safe and happy as well." The Doctor offered a small smile at the group before turning back to the screen deep in thought. She was rarely ever safe, the way she dealt with (avoided) her emotions was by putting herself in dangerous situations so she wouldn't have to think about her feelings. And as for happy? She was happiest with her friends and family but that had been so hard lately, she couldn't remember the last time she was truly happy, with no other worries.

**RYAN: I'm sorry, did you just say, Ryan's right?  
GRAHAM: Yes, I did. Enjoy the moment, son. You won't hear it often.  
RYAN: And that O guy. If the Doctor knew him, how come she couldn't recognise him?  
GRAHAM: In the outback, he said that he knew the Doc when she was a man. And that first night we met, she told me and Grace that she'd been through er... something called... regeneration. Like her whole body had changed.  
YASMIN: We've spent all this time with her and we don't even know where she's from.  
GRAHAM: Yeah, not for want of asking, though. Eh? I mean. And we will ask, when we see her again, which we will, cos she is safe somewhere, of course. Right?**

The Doctor shifted uncomfortable in her seat; she never really told her companions much about herself but she hadn't told these three anything at all really. It was only in this room, watching these videos that they had learnt so much about her and she wasn't sure how to feel about that.

The three seemed to sense her turbulent thoughts. "It's okay Doc, we understand that you don't like to talk about yourself, just maybe try and tell us some stuff before we end up in these kind of situations, okay love?"

"Thanks Graham and I'll try, no promises but I'll try." She paused, scanning the rest of the room's occupants. "That goes for everyone. These videos are going to show you plenty about each other, yourselves and lots about me so if you have a question – ask. I can't promise I will always answer but I'll try. I'll try." She received several solemn nods and small smile in return.

**YASMIN: Right.  
RYAN: Right.  
YASMIN: You know what she'd ask now? What do we have at our disposal?  
GRAHAM: Well, I've er... got to admit I did keep a couple of those spy gadgety things.  
RYAN: Me too. Hey, are you wearing the laser shoes?  
GRAHAM: I might be.  
YASMIN: Why didn't you use them on the plane?  
GRAHAM: What, in a confined space like that? You're having a laugh, in't ya? That wouldn't have been very smart, would it? And besides which, I forgot to read the instructions.  
YASMIN: Graham!  
GRAHAM: Well, we was in a rush. What could I do?  
RYAN: Rocket cufflinks. To be fair, I didn't read the instructions on those either.  
GRAHAM: You doughnut.  
RYAN + YASMIN: Doughnut?  
GRAHAM: Yeah, the pair of you. Right couple of doughnuts. But there's no one I'd rather be on the run with.**

The three grinned at each other, happy with their little family they'd made. The other companions also smiled, happy to see their interaction and that being on the run wasn't getting them down.

"At least you're not defenceless, as long as you can figure out how to work the tech." Mickey grinned at the group, who grinned back in answer.

**(Kasaavin come out of the ground outside.)**

**[Bombsite]**

**DOCTOR: What? No.  
(A small propeller aircraft flies overhead. The Doctor and Ada are lying on the ground.)  
DOCTOR: Ada. Are you okay?  
ADA: Are we safe?  
(Bombing in the background. A woman runs up.)  
NOOR: Don't move. I said don't move!  
DOCTOR: We're not hostile. We're here by accident.  
NOOR: What are you doing out here? What are you wearing?  
ADA: What are those noises?  
DOCTOR: Where are we? And when?  
NOOR: Don't you know?  
DOCTOR: Just landed. Concussion. Humour me.  
NOOR: Paris, 1943.**

"Well, that's still not the right century, but you are closer." Rose commented with a fond shake of her head for the Doctor's anticks. Of course, she decided to try and use the Silver Lady and Kasavvin to jump though time, and of course it didn't work completely. That was just the Doctor's luck. The Doctor grinned at her, seemingly knowing exactly what she was thinking.

**(German shouting.)  
DOCTOR: Oh, no.  
NOOR: It's a patrol. Inside, quick. We're not safe out here.  
(They run for cover. The German military car stops and a very Non-Aryan officer steps out.)  
MASTER: I know you're here! I will find you!  
(His gizmo beeps.)  
MASTER: Especially you, Doctor. Coming, ready or not.**

The room glared at him in syn, which he was getting very annoyed at. Honestly, he hadn't even done very much worthy of being glared at yet – he'd just killed several humans and hunted the Doctor down.

"First of all, very quick on finding me. Second of all, really? Did you think I could hear you? We're not playing hide and seek." The Doctor asked bemused. The Master just shot her an annoyed look, they both knew exactly what he had meant no matter how much she was denying it.

**[Building site]**

**(A Kasaavin enters the house shell.)  
YASMIN: Did you just say something?  
(And another.)**

"Not good. Straight back into trouble." Rory sighed. He really should just expect that at this point.

**GRAHAM: Ryan, come on!  
(One blocks the bottom of the stairs.)  
GRAHAM: :Out this way. Come on, up here!  
YASMIN: Quickly!  
(They get out through a window onto the scaffolding then down the ladders.)  
GRAHAM: Come on, quick! Come on, Yaz!  
(Their escape is blocked by a line of glowing figures in front, and another behind them.)  
RYAN: The shoe, Graham!  
GRAHAM:What?  
RYAN: Just stomp your foot, or something!  
(A laser hits a Kasaavin, who reacts.)  
YASMIN: Again!  
(This time a lamp post falls.)  
YASMIN: You've got to aim better.  
GRAHAM: What do you mean? I didn't read the instructions!  
YASMIN: Dance, Graham, dance!  
(He turns round, and another Kasaavin is hit.)**

"I am so glad that we stole all that spy stuff." Graham said drawing nods from Ryan and Yaz. The rest of the room were trying to hide smiles and giggles behind their hands with varying success – it was quite a sight seeing Graham shoot the lasers plus Yaz's comment. The three current companions were the first to start laughing, looking back it was a bit funny now they weren't in any real danger.

**[Hangar]**

**(Barton enters. The Silver Lady is on display, and an older woman is tied to a chair.)  
BARTON: Beautiful, isn't it? Dates back to the 19th century. What, not going to say anything? This cannot still be about me moving to the States. I text. I e-mail. I tried to friend you on Facebook, and you refused. And trust me, I never use Facebook unless forced.  
MOTHER: Why am I here?  
BARTON: I'm in the country. I thought it would be nice for us to see each other. Thanks for coming. MOTHER: I didn't have a choice.  
BARTON: I keep wondering, does she know? Does she realise that I'm one of the most successful men on the planet? I've changed the world. What do I have to do to get you to say well done?  
MOTHER: Well done. Are we finished?  
BARTON: No. I wanted to see you on the last day.  
MOTHER: On the what?  
BARTON: So that you could be the first.  
(Kasaavin surround his mother, lancing energy into her head. She screams. He smiles.)**

"Okay, he's officially lost his mind. Did he seriously just kill his own mother?!" Rose asked angrily, hands waving in the air to emphasise her point. The room seemed split between being sad for the death and angry with Barton for being the cause. He'd been a bit crazy throughout the videos but he seemed to have just gone total power-hungry psycho.

**[Paris apartment]**

**(Banging on the door, then the Germans enter. Noor is sitting at a desk by the window.)  
NOOR: Yes?  
(A trooper throws some of her papers on the floor. The Master enters.)  
NOOR: You're new.  
(The Doctor and Ada are hiding under the floorboards, with a radio transmitter. The Master stamps his foot and the troopers fire their machineguns at the floor. Noor doesn't flinch. The Germans and the Master leave, a door closes. Noor gets up, moves a small rug and removes floorboards.)**

"You were there!?" The Master practically growled, annoyed with how close he had been, he'd known he could sense her. The Doctor grinned smugly back at him but didn't answer – clearly, she had been, they were watching the video.

The rest of the room were nervous with how close things had been, glad the Doctor and Ada were safe.

**DOCTOR: You are a life-saver. Got some interesting stuff under the floorboards here. Wireless radio equipment. As issued by the British Special Operations Executive. Very distinct, very large and very difficult to hide. You're not Parisian. You're a British spy. I know that face. Code name Madeleine. Real name Noor Inayat Khan. First female wireless operator to be dropped behind enemy lines. Very nice to meet you. I'm not where I wanted to be, but I can work with this. Ada, wait till you hear about Noor. She's as impressive as you. You grabbing my hand must have thrown us off course, spat us out here.**

"Sweetie, as endearing as your excitement is, maybe you shouldn't go spilling someone's life story to them, you aren't supposed to know those things and it's only going to make her more suspicious, honestly." River sighed, exasperated by her wife (as usual), said wife just pouted (though she would deny it). She been excited to meet Noor and had just started rambling.

The room ignored the Master's grumbles of, "and now she has two new little human pets", from his place across the room.

**ADA: I should like to come out from the floor now.  
NOOR: Oh.  
(A little later.)  
NOOR: Who are you? How do you know so much about me? And why are you both wearing such strange clothes?  
ADA: That soldier's voice. He was in the Adelaide Gallery. How can he be here?**

"So, many questions and the Doctor's answer will probably only leave them with more." Clara grinned fondly, that was how it usually went with their adventures. The rest of the room nodded and laughed, agreeing easily. Juts when you thought you were about to get an answer form the Doctor she would leave you with more questions.

**DOCTOR: He's in league with the Kasaavin, those creatures of light. I'd hoped to get back to their home dimension, where we met, and then to the 21st century. But we ended up here instead, which is, you know, 19th century to 20th, it's progress. But the Master tracked me down, and now he wants me dead, whereas I am a big fan of being alive. Ada? Are you all right?  
(Ada moves a shutter aside and looks out of the dirty windows towards the Tour Effiel.)  
ADA: I have always wanted to return to Paris.  
NOOR: It's not at its best. Nightly bombing raids. Millions dead. They promised us war at this scale would never happen again, and yet here we are.  
ADA: This isn't the first time?**

"Right, she doesn't know about World War I even. That's not going to be fun to explain." Bill grimaced.

**NOOR: Who are you people?  
DOCTOR: We're your allies, I promise.  
ADA: This is the future. A world on fire.  
DOCTOR: These are the dark times. But they don't sustain. Darkness never sustains, even though sometimes it feels like it might. I need to turn this to our advantage and get the Master off my trail. He's masquerading as a German soldier. That's a low, even for him. Code name Madeleine, what equipment do you have here?  
NOOR: Only my radio equipment. No gun. No cyanide pill. I'm a pacifist.  
DOCTOR: Snap! Strong position to take during wartime. Two pacifists and a 19th-century descendant of Byron against the Nazis in Paris and an alien invasion across multiple dimensions. That's a big to-do list. (sigh) I have an idea. And you two brilliant people are a big part of it.**

"That sounds like a really weird film." Yaz chuckled, gaining a few other splatters of laughter from around the room.

"Glad you have a plan, Spaceman, but stop confusing the poor girls and get on with it. Let's just hope it's a good one for once." Donna said, gaining a noise of protest from the Doctor about how all her plans were good ones, and more laughter from around the room.

**[Countryside / Khan home]**

**(Yasmin is using a public telephone box.)  
SONYA [OC]: Hello?  
YASMIN: Sonya, it's me.**

"No offense but I'm pretty sure phoning who I presume is your family is a bad idea when you are on the run." Rory pointed out awkwardly.

"Don't worry. The Doctor isn't the only one with a plan." Yaz grinned, Ryan and Graham had similar expressions beside her.

**SONYA: Where are you, idiot? What sort of trouble have you gone and got yourself into?  
YASMIN: Shut up. I'm fine, but I can't talk long. Tell Mum and Dad not to worry.  
(But they are being tracked by VOR to telephone number 01632 960470.)  
SONYA: Oh, yeah, cos that's going to work. Your name's all over the news. Have you gone rogue?  
YASMIN: Shut up and listen. I'm with Graham and Ryan. We're fine. There's just been a bit of a misunderstanding. If anyone comes to the door and wants you to go with them, just refuse. Stay in the flat and don't let anyone in. Keep yourself safe. I'm worried they'll come for you. I've got to go.**

"Troubles found you but at least you've warned your family." Martha sighed, she'd sone exactly the same when she'd been on the run but it hadn't gone well for them, she just hoped it went better for the latest companions.

The Doctor, Mickey and Jack all offered her soft smiles, asking silently if she was alright, this video was clearly bringing up some bad memories with all the parallels. Mickey reassuringly squeezed his wife's hand in comfort, gaining a small thankful smile in retun.

**(A black Range Rover screeches to a halt and three armed men get out.)  
MAN: Down! Get down! Face down on the floor!  
RYAN: All right.  
(Graham comes up behind the bad guys.)  
GRAHAM: Sorry, gents, it's you who's getting down on the floor.  
(Laser shots make them duck. Graham is balancing on one foot, the other shoe showing off the three lasers in the heel.)  
GRAHAM:This is the most advanced laser shoe known to man. Ain't worth the resistance, lads. Guns down and on the floor. Don't make me do the old soft-shoe shuffle.  
(They comply.)  
RYAN: Your boss thinks we're stupid. She made the call knowing that you'd come for us. And now we're taking your phones and we're going to raid your GPS. How's that for smart?**

**YASMIN: Ryan, don't tell them the plan.  
RYAN: Oh, yeah. Sorry, I got a bit carried away. Come on, let's go.  
(Yasmin drives them away.)**

A cheer went up around the room, happy for the current companions' victory and escape. The three were grinning proudly, happily soaking in the applause.

**[Paris apartment]**

**(The Doctor is repeatedly tapping four dots on Noor's morse key.)**

"The drums." It was a statement not a question from Jack who was watching the Doctor anxious, everything about this was reminding him about the Year and whatever secret had driven the Master mad had clearly also affected the Doctor, badly. He shared a look with Martha who was the only one who would truly understand his concern about the drums, she was wearing an equally worried expression.

"Yes, only way to get his attention. Besides, it's also a double heartbeat. Our heartbeat." The Doctor gave Jack a sad look, full of understanding and apologies which didn't calm his nerve at all.

**NOOR: That's not a code.  
DOCTOR: Not to you. If this works, I'm going to need you to find something for me. This is a very personal code. The rhythm of two hearts.  
(The Master hears it in his underground bunker. He takes over from the resident Morse code operator and replies.)  
DOCTOR: That got his attention. He's not so far. I can sense him. [OC] Contact.  
MASTER [OC]: Contact. Old-school.**

"You're telepathic?" Graham exclaimed shocked. He thought back to every time in the room that the pair seemed to have a silent conversation with a new light – they probably had been having a whole conversation that no one else was privy too.

"Oops, did I not mention that? Sorry. Touch telepaths. Don't worry I don't make a habit of going poking around in people's heads." The Doctor grinned sheepishly but cast an apologetic look at Donna. "Besides, it's how we communicate half the time on Gallifrey. I think we spent more time in each other's heads than our own sometimes as kids." The Doctor smiled sadly, caught in memories. The companions shared a look but let the video play on without anymore questions, now wasn't the time.

**DOCTOR: You're not the only one who can do classic.  
MASTER: So, how are you holding up without a Tardis, or your friends or a hope? A fugitive in time?  
DOCTOR: All right. You've come all this way. You've got me cornered. I'll meet you. No troops. No soldiers. Just us.  
MASTER: Where?  
DOCTOR: Where do you think?**

"Really hoping your plan works Doctor." Jack said, watching her next to him worriedly. He didn't like the thought of her alone with the Master, no one did.

**[Tour Eiffel viewing platform]**

**(Air raid sirens, searchlights.)  
DOCTOR: It's cold up here! It's worse than Jodrell Bank.  
MASTER: Did I ever apologise for that?  
DOCTOR: No.  
MASTER: Good.**

"What happened at Jodrell Bank?" River asked through her teeth, full of worry for the Doctor. Like Jack, she was especially nervous about the Doctor being alone with the Master, especially with whatever secret the pair were hiding.

The Master and the Doctor shared a look, the former almost daring the latter to explain. She sighed turning to River, her expression stoic. "Nothing important."

"Doctor-."

"River please, it doesn't matter." River looked ready to push some more but stopped on seeing the Doctor's pleading expression. She sighed, reluctantly nodding. She made a mental note to find out later, she wasn't dropping the subject completely, just for now.

**DOCTOR: How's the shoulder?  
MASTER: Painful.  
DOCTOR: I don't like what you're wearing. Or the company you keep. How have you managed that? You're not exactly their Aryan archetype.  
MASTER: Tiny Teutonic psychic perception filter. Learned it at school. Lets people see what they want to see.**

"Which you would have also learned about if you had paid any attention and didn't constantly skip class." The Master raised an eyebrow at the Doctor.

"You can't really say anything, you skipped with me half of the time too. Neither of us were exactly model students." The Doctor snapped back at the Master arms crossed.

"At least I passed first time." The Master smirked.

"Yeah. Yeah. I remember. You passed with flying colours, highest marks ever. Romana was very jealous." The Doctor huffed back, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"What are you two talking about? Who is Romana? I think you mentioned her earlier as well." Amy asked, curious. They had all been watching the bickering enemies in a mix of curiosity and finely concealed anger/worry but Amy was still the only one brave enough to ask, or more likely the only one unattached. She'd never met the Master before all this, unlike most of the room (barring Rose and Mickey – but he'd heard plenty of stories to know to be wary).

The Doctor shared an un decipherable glance with the Master before answering. She had said she'd try to answer their questions. "The Academy. School. The Master passed with the highest marks ever whereas I passed with 51% on my second attempt. I was terrible at school; really annoyed my teachers, never did my homework, constantly skipped class etc." The Doctor grinned, she had hated the Academy but there were some good memories from the time, especially looking back now, most of them were to do with her friends ad general rebellion.

"As for Romana. There was a period where I was working for Gallifrey in one of my younger incarnations and Romana was sent to make sure I completed a specific mission. She decided to stay with me and travel, see more of the universe." She chuckled to herself as she continued. "That really annoyed Brax. She became Lady President of Gallifrey before the war. I don't know what happened to her after." She frowned, what had happened to Romana? She knew Rassilon had removed her from power during the war and that she had survived but she hadn't seen her on her last visit. With Gallifrey destroyed, presumably she was dead like all the others. And what about Brax? He had definitely been exiled a one point but had he been on Gallifrey when the Master destroyed it? The Doctor refused to look at the Master, she didn't want her suspicions confirmed.

The companions glanced at each other but decided it was better not to ask. Being here, seeing these videos, they were learning more about the Doctor than most had ever before. And like normal, the answer to one question only lead to more questions.

**DOCTOR: I'm assuming it was you who hijacked the MI6 car.  
MASTER: That was fun.  
DOCTOR: And assassinated C.  
MASTER: Mandraffian laser rifle. One shot. I've still got an eye for it.  
DOCTOR: Why were the Kasaavin assassinating spies?  
MASTER: Earth's intelligence services started to realise their presence.  
DOCTOR: So, what, you brought the Kasaavin to Earth?  
MASTER: They were already here. I just persuaded them we had interests in common. The Kasaavin are embedded across the whole of this universe, spies from another dimension. As I said to Mister Barton, think of them as Russia, but bigger. Sleeper agents everywhere, waiting to be activated, amassing information in case they need to attack. And, I mean, you know me. I can't help myself. I have to stick my oar in.  
DOCTOR: What have you done?  
MASTER: Suggested a better plan.**

"You're seriously just telling her everything?" Rose asked perplexed. Villains loved to talk about their plans, yes but the Master seemed too smart to just tell his biggest enemy everything.

The Doctor spoke before the Master could answer. "He loves to gloat about his plans. Really loves the sound of his own voice."

"Almost as much as you do, dear." The Master shot back, unwilling to admit that the Doctor had outsmarted and tricked him on this occasion (like usual).

**[Hangar]**

**YASMIN: Over here!  
(They run to Barton's mother.)  
GRAHAM: Is she alive?  
YASMIN: No. What's she even doing here?  
RYAN: Where's Barton? This is where his guys were supposed to lead us, and he's not here.  
BARTON [on screen]: Well done overpowering my people. But did you really think they wouldn't tell me? I have a significant announcement to make, and you, my friends, are two steps behind. As usual.  
YASMIN: We know all about you. We know some of your DNA isn't human.  
GRAHAM: So what are you, part alien?  
BARTON: You really don't understand who I am. I build things. I test them. So I let them test a tiny part of me. And now it's time for the global roll-out. I'm proof of concept.  
RYAN: What concept? What did they try?  
BARTON: Look after my mum.  
(Call ended.)**

"You're getting some answer as well but Barton seems too confident for it all to be over." Clara theorised, worried about the group on screen like most of the room. They hadn't gotten to spend much time just chatting with each other yet but everyone seemed nice and they were looking forward to having a proper talk, once they knew how they had got away safely.

**GRAHAM: He killed his own mum.  
YASMIN: And left her here.  
(Ryan walks over to the Silver Lady.)  
RYAN: That machine was in Barton's office.**

**[Paris apartment]**

**(Noor is tapping out Morse code.)  
ADA: What are you doing?  
NOOR: Communicating a message back to London, just as the Doctor asked. Why are we trusting her?  
ADA: I have seen extraordinary things with her. She's wise and unafraid, and I believe in her. What is this contraption she's left us with?  
(A mobile phone.)  
NOOR: I don't know. I've never seen anything like that before. So, are you ready to brave the night?**

The room turned to look at the Doctor. "Did you seriously give them a mobile phone? Please tell me you at least explained how it works, old man." Bill shook her head, fond exasperation clear in her voice. The Doctor's sheepish shrug and grin was all the answer anyone needed and they all practically sighed in sync. The Doctor was incredibly smart but sometimes she was a complete idiot.

**[Paris street]**

**ADA: How does that fit here?  
NOOR: She did say, look for something anomalous. Use the device.  
(Ada opens the phone and presses a button. It dials.)**

**[Tour Eiffel viewing platform]**

**DOCTOR: Oh! Must change the ringtone. Sent it to voicemail. Probably just asking if I've had an accident in the last five years.  
(She keys her sonic screwdriver behind her back.)**

The Master started to mutter to himself, ignoring the Doctor's smug grin. How had he not noticed that? Seriously, how had he just bought that? He knew to expect trickery when it came to the Doctor, he'd gotten far too overconfident and it had caused him to fail.

**DOCTOR: They hate it when you give them a list, though, don't they?  
MASTER: Why didn't you die when the Kasaavin attacked you?  
DOCTOR: Me and Yaz, both time travellers, fizzing with artron energy, and my DNA not matching the rest of humanity, we confused them. And I don't think they're as stable in this dimension as they'd like to be. What deal have you made with them?**

Yaz watched the screen, relived to finally have an explanation on why she survived the Kasaavin, Ryan offered a comforting msile, knowing exactly what she was thinking. She manged to give a slightly shaky one back.

**MASTER: I showed them and Barton what was possible. They helped me lay a trap for you, and I raised their ambitions. Of course, ultimately the Kasaavin are just the mechanism. They... they don't have my vision, you know?  
DOCTOR: And what vision is that?  
MASTER: Maximum carnage.  
DOCTOR: I don't understand.  
MASTER: No, no, I know you don't. But you will. And of course, the best thing is everyone loses except me. Barton and those creatures do the dirty work, and once they're done, I get rid of them, having destroyed your precious human race in the process. Win-win-win.  
DOCTOR: When does all this stop for you? The games, the betrayals, the killing?  
MASTER: Why would it stop? I mean, how else would I get your attention? When did you last go home?  
DOCTOR: What do you mean?**

"Don't glare at me like that. I know you; you wouldn't have gone back without prompting after your last disastrous trip." The Master smirked.

"What do you even know about it?"

"Admittedly not as much as I would like. I know you went back and didn't get the best reception, I heard rumours about Rassilon and a firing squad. Then they tried to make you president again, you shot someone, then stole Clara and another TARDIS." The Master raised an eyebrow in question, he really didn't know nearly as much as he would like about her return and was secretly hoping it would be shown so he could find out the details. He hated not knowing something, especially concerning the Doctor.

"Unfortunately, I think you will find out more." The Doctor grimaced before continuing, getting angrier as she spoke. "Maybe I would have gone back again, you don't know that. Maybe I would have wanted to visit my friends or family. You also didn't have to give me false coordinates in that graveyard." The Doctor glared darkly at the Master, remembering her anger and frustration when she had discovered Missy and stopped the Cybermen only to be given fake coordinates. She was decidedly not thinking about her friends and family that were almost definitely dead now, even if they had survived the war. She had spent so long thinking them all dead and when she had finally saved them and been able to go home, she had put it off thinking she had all the time in the world. Then the Master destroyed it again and she would never know. The Master huffed at her, both knew she wouldn't have gone back for quite a while, but decided not to continue the argument.

The rest of the room watched on confused by the exchange, they also wanted to know the details of this supposed trip to Gallifrey. Clara watched on with dark eyes, she knew better than anyone (aside from the Doctor) what had happened and she was still furious and upset about it. Even if the Doctor had gotten her memories back now, she'd still forgotten and she'd still been tortured for 4.5 billion years (and Clara still didn't know as much about that as she would have liked).

**MASTER: I took a trip home, to Gallifrey, hiding in its little bubble universe. Not sure how to describe what I found. Pulverised? Burned? Nuked? All of the above. Someone destroyed it. Our home, razed to the ground. Everyone killed. Everything burned.**

The room watched the video, speechless and shocked by the Master's declaration. They were still hopeful that he was lying, but the pair's reactions now and in previous videos suggested he wasn't. River and Jack turned to the Doctor who was determinedly staring at the floor, and that was all the answer they needed, each moving closer s the Doctor was squished between their shoulder sot try and offer some comfort (for both her and them). It hurt everyone to think the Doctor had fought to save her home only to have it destroyed once again but they had no way to express any of their feelings and thoughts before the video continued on.

**DOCTOR: You're lying.  
MASTER: You should really take a look. Oh, wait, you won't be able to. I just thought I'd let you know before I...  
DOCTOR: Can you hear voices?  
MASTER: Why are there troops coming up the stairs?  
DOCTOR: Oh. That's me, and one of Blighty's bravest radio operators. Very good at sending messages, particularly fake ones designed to be intercepted. Now, finish what you were saying!  
MASTER: What have you done?  
(He grabs her by the throat, leaning out over the railing.)**

Jack and River both look ready to jump out of their seats again and attack him. The rest of the room looked similar, furiously glaring at the Master. She was so close to escaping but she was still in danger because of this madman. The Doctor grabbed a hand each of River and Jack's trying to calm them and stop them attacking the Master, it really wouldn't help the situation. And things were only going to get worse when they realised who had destroyed Gallifrey.

**DOCTOR: Sent a message to the Brits telling them how valuable you've been as a double agent, sending Nazi information to the British.  
(He lets her go and runs to the lift.)  
DOCTOR: Facial perception filter? Very easy to jam. Now they'll see the real you. Good luck.  
(She gets into the lift and closes the door, leaving him to face the troopers.)  
MASTER: I believe there's been a misunderstanding. Can we talk about this? You've always struck me as such reasonable people.  
(Barton arrives at an auditorium. The Doctor runs through Paris.)**

The room seemed to take a collective deep breath, now that the Master was dealt with (for now) and the Doctor had escaped yet again.

**[Paris street]**

**NOOR: Over here.  
ADA: Is this what you meant?  
NOOR: That wasn't here last week.  
DOCTOR: I bet it wasn't. So arrogant. Didn't even change the appearance.  
(The Australian outback homestead sitting in a courtyard.)**

A thought struck the Doctor and a wicked smirk slid onto her face. She turned casually to the Master who was watching with poorly-hidden apprehension. "Did you break the Chameleon Circuit?"

The Master huffed. "I have no idea what you are talking about, I happen to like it like that."

The Doctor's smirk had changed into a full out grin. "You absolutely broke it you idiot." The Master decided not to provide an answer and turned back to the screen. That was all the confirmation the Doctor needed, she cackled. So many years of him mocking her for having broken it (not that she couldn't fix it, but she liked the police box and so did the TARDIS) and he had broken his. Karma at its finest.

**DOCTOR: Okay, you two, my best secret agents, time to go lock-picking.**

**[Homestead]**

**ADA: Why is this house so important?  
DOCTOR: This is not a house. It's a machine that travels in Space and Time. This is my way back to finding my friends and saving humanity. I know you think I'm mad, but give me five minutes and you'll think I'm the sanest person alive. Okay, that was an overstatement. I said the Master's arrogant, but arrogance can trip you up.**

"At least you admit it." Amy teased.

**(She sonics the console and displays light up.)  
DOCTOR: I know what this is. A temporal map, showing every significant person in the development of computers through history, starting with you, Ada. This is the plan. See?  
BOTH: No.**

Bill and Yaz just said "Mood" in sync, drawing confused looks from the rest of the room, bar Ryan, who just nodded in agreement with the pair. The three didn't explain, ignoring the questioning looks they were being given.

**ADA: Wh... what is a computer?  
DOCTOR: Oh, forget you heard that word, otherwise I've just disrupted the whole of history. Again. Okay. Ah, my brain's fizzing. Good. The Kasaavin posted an agent on every person on that map, because that's what spies do, what Barton does. They gather all the data. Where does the DNA fit in? Kasaavin, technology, DNA. How are they all connected? Oh! Human DNA. That's what they were testing.  
NOOR: How much of that did you understand?**

"You are amazing at confusing people, honestly Doctor." Rose laughed, alongside most of the room at how confused she was making the pair.

**[Auditorium]**

**BARTON: Thank you. Today, I'm here to say thank you to those of you all round the world who've made our achievements possible. To everyone who, over the years, has given us everything. We gave you pieces of plastic and circuitry and games, and you handed us - me, my company - total access to your lives. What you buy, where you go, who you text, what you text. Every thought and photo and post. Every credit card number, every birthday, every memorable place and all your mothers' maiden names. So thank you for carrying our cameras in your pockets, and putting our microphones in your bedrooms. For signing up your kids, handing them our devices. We told you, of course your lives are private, of course your data's safe. And you believed us. You kept clicking Agree. And now, we can do anything. I can send a text to every device on this planet.  
(He presses a button his phone and phones bingle everywhere. Hakim, Najia, the screen in the hangar, everyone in the lecture hall.)  
BARTON: Go ahead. Read it.  
(The message is on screens on either side of him.)**

**[Hangar]**

**YASMIN: Humanity is over. You have three minutes to prepare. Prepare for what?**

**[Auditorium]**

**BARTON: Funny, right? Except, not a joke. We are way past peak human. We've created systems that are smarter and can run more efficiently than we do. So what's our purpose? We must be useful for something. Well, the data tells us we are. We can repurpose. Well, you all can. You know the most efficient type of hard drives on Planet Earth? Humans. Human DNA can store so much data. We're the perfect storage system, which means there are over seven billion potentially incredibly useful hard drives on this planet. All that's needed is to reformat the whole of humanity. Luckily, there's an app for that.**

The room watched on worried, they knew Barton and the Kasaavin had been stopped, or they wouldn't be here but it was still scary to watch. Bill shivered slightly, "Yeah definitely going to be more careful on my phone now. That's just creepy." Several others nodded in agreement.

**[Hangar]**

**(Process initiating, says a smart watch. The Silver Lady lights up and starts rotating.)  
RYAN: Anyone feel like this is something we should be worried about?  
(The place fills with Kasaavin, which then leap as energy into the Silver Lady and out of people's phones.)**

**[Khan home]**

**SONYA: Mum? I can't move!  
(That girl is permanently attached to her phone anyway...)**

**[Auditorium]**

**BARTON: A handful of us will remain sentient in order to supervise, maybe even rebuild. But for the rest of you? Welcome to the end of your lives.**

**[Hangar]**

**YASMIN: Use your shoe on the machine.  
(The lasers bounce off the Silver Lady's display case.)  
GRAHAM: It doesn't make any difference.  
YASMIN: Cufflinks!  
(Those energy bolts bounce off as well.)**

"At least you tried something." Martha offered, things were getting tense and their attempts to stop it clearly weren't working but at least they had tried. The three smiled, grateful for the acknowledgment and comfort.

**MASTER: Move away. Now! I've just had the most infuriating seventy seven years of my life. Have you any idea how hard it is to live through the 20th century? The places I've escaped from. Still... just in time to watch you all pay.**

The room turned to look at the Master who glared at them annoyed, before looking at the Doctor. Several of them opened their mouths to speak, but she beat them too it. "Before you say anything, I know. But he was limited in what he could do, he had to stay where he was until he got back to the right time and the end of the 20th century/start of the 21st has many versions of us both there so he didn't have much he could do. He wasn't a danger." The group seemed to take that as an explanation mostly, with only a few more worried glances from people like Martha, Jack and Clara who had seen the full extent of the Master's schemes and personality.

**RYAN: What's the machine?  
MASTER: Conversion and transmission. We're transmitting Kasaavin energy around the world all at once into every device, hitting every human being and erasing all their DNA simultaneously.  
(Energy from the screen takes hold of Yasmin.)  
RYAN: Yaz!  
YASMIN: I can't let go of it.  
MASTER: First her. Then you. Then you.  
(The Silver Lady suddenly stops spinning.)  
MASTER: Don't do this.**

The room cheered again, half happy because clearly the plan had been stopped and half happy about the Master's utter annoyance about his plan being ruined by the Doctor yet again. The Master muttered away furiously to himself in the corner, shooting glares at the Doctor who just grinned back smugly then ignored him in favour of her companions (like usual – to his fury).

**[Auditorium]**

**(The power goes off, including the phones. Barton leaves the stage rapidly, talking into his phone.)  
BARTON: Extraction team in. Immediately!**

**[Hangar]**

**(The Doctor walks in, followed by Ada and Noor.)  
DOCTOR: Sorry. I think that might have been me. And I'll admit, it was close.**

The cheers started up again, everyone ignoring Nardole's mutter about 'unnecessary drama'.

**[Khan home]**

**(Everyone else is released.)  
NAJIA: What was that?  
HAKIM: What do I keep telling you? Conspiracy.**

Yaz just groaned. "He was insufferable after this. Everything is a conspiracy now."

**[Hangar]**

**MASTER: No.  
DOCTOR: Two can play at embedding things in history. I knew the Silver Lady was important, and that you built it for a reason, but I couldn't work out why. So I traced its movements through history. And when I saw that Barton now owned it, we stopped by his office. Middle of last year, using your Tardis, I built a fail-safe into that machine. Planted a virus. If it ever detected the massing of a Kasaavin army within its systems - total shutdown.**

"Nice to see you've still got it Doctor." Rose grinned happily at the Doctor who just grinned back, before frowning slightly, eyebrows crinkling as she tried to work out if she had just been insulted or not.

**(The Kasaavin return via the Silver Lady.)  
MASTER: You're going to have to explain yourself to them, Doctor.  
DOCTOR: Am I? Listen, you lot, I've rigged the Silver Lady to exile you back to your own dimension. This planet's off-limits. Oh, and you know that deal he made with you?  
(Sonic screwdriver.)  
MASTER [OC]: Barton and these creatures do the dirty work, and once they're done, I get rid of them, having were planning to destroyed your precious human race in the process. Win-win-win.  
MASTER: Oh.  
DOCTOR: That's your name. Don't wear it out. That's the trouble with modern technology. You never know when you're being spied upon.**

"Ooh, burn." Bill grinned, happy to see the Master defeated especially by such a simple trick. She ignored the Master's glare; he was definitely still scary but she felt safer here surrounded by friends and protected by the Tardis.

**MASTER: Don't... don't listen to her.  
(They envelope the Master whilst saying his name.)**

**[Alien realm]**

**MASTER: No. Doctor. Doctor!**

He glared at her; arms crossed. He had been furious with her for letting the Kasaavin take him, especially after trapping him on Earth for 77 years. She simply smirked, smugness radiating off of her.

"Just like the old days. You always seemed to get abandoned or betrayed by your so-called allies." She declared, with a smug tilt of her head.

"And just like the old days, it's your fault." The Master shot back snappishly, it had taken him far too long to escape the Kasaavin and it had not been enjoyable.

"No, they just find out that you were using them or were planning to betray you all along. I just tend to accelerate the end result." The Doctor shrugged, failing to hide her smug smile. "I also remember having to save you from your own 'allies' several times or from the trouble you summoned and then couldn't control, remember Kronos?"

"You will never let me forget that." The Master grumbled, it had definitely come up in several of their arguments and discussions over the years.

"Nope." The Doctor declared enthusiastically, always wanting the last word. The rest of the room watched on mostly perplexed barring a few with faint ideas wither from the Doctor's stories or UNIT's files.

**[Hangar]**

**DOCTOR: What?  
YASMIN: You have a lot of explaining to do.  
DOCTOR: Like what?  
GRAHAM: Like who are they? And are we being replaced?  
DOCTOR: No. This is Ada, this is Noor. 1834, 1943. They helped me out. I'm dropping them back in a sec.  
RYAN: How did you manage to save our lives on the plane?  
DOCTOR: The plane. Oh, I forgot. Come on!  
(The Doctor, Ada and Noor run off.)**

"I can't believe you forgot about the plane!" Yaz shouted, exasperated. She was teasing slightly but still how could she forget? The rest of the companions seemed to be in agreement with Yaz, shooting the Doctor disbelieving looks.

"Honestly, Martian." Donna added loudly.

"Well, I'm sorry I was a bit busy getting chased through time as you saw." The Doctor protested which did nothing to help her defence as the rest of the companions just sighed or rolled their eyes at her.

**[Master's Tardis]**

**(Making the plaques that Ryan found and the recorded message.)  
DOCTOR: You have shut the cockpit doors, haven't you? That's vital. Cockpit doors are designed to be incredibly robust.  
(And the instructions that saved their lives.)  
DOCTOR: I love a laminator.  
DOCTOR [OC]: Stick these in Barton's plane as it's being built then reclaim my own Tardis.**

"Loving your priorities as usual Doctor." Clara rolled her eyes at the Doctor who grinned a bit sheepish.

**[Paris apartment]**

**DOCTOR: This is where I leave you.  
NOOR: Answer me one question. The fascists, do they win?  
DOCTOR: Never. Not while there's people like you.  
(She touches Noor's temple.)  
DOCTOR: It's all right. I'm just removing me from your mind.  
(She catches Noor and lays her on the bed.)  
DOCTOR: Bonne chance.**

The Doctor snuck a glance at Donna who had flinched slightly at seeing the Doctor wipe Noor's memories, she offered an apologetic frown at the ginger woman who nodded in acceptance. They seriously had to talk soon.

**[Babbage's house]**

**(The Tardis materialises.)  
ADA: Doctor, does this have to be the end? All the things I've learned, the advances, the machines. I would dearly love to see more.  
DOCTOR: I'm afraid I need to do something about that.  
ADA: What do you mean?  
DOCTOR: I'm ever so sorry, Ada.  
ADA: Doctor, what are you doing?  
DOCTOR: Wiping the things you shouldn't have knowledge of. Including me.  
ADA: But I want that knowledge. Don't take it away. Please don't take it a...  
(The Doctor touches her temple and lays her down on a comfy chaise long.)  
DOCTOR: Oh Ada, you don't need a preview. You'll figure it out before anyone. The first to see the potential in things like that, to work out what could be. What they can really do. Computers start with you. Sweet dreams, Ada Lovelace.  
(The Tardis dematerialises.)**

The Doctor winced as Donna had flinched harder that time, she hated wiping people's memories, especially after Donna and Clara, but Ada couldn't know about the future, it would have messed with history too much – even by her standards.

**[Tardis]**

**MASTER [OC]: When did you last go home? You should really take a look.  
(The Doctor resets the coordinates, and heads off through the Vortex to a barren world. Ruined buildings still have smoke rising from them. She doesn't step outside. Travelling again, her phone beeps. A hologram appears wearing a long dark jacket and checkered trousers.)**

The room watched the screen appalled, it was one thing to hear it but to see it was something else.

"I'm so sorry Doctor. To have just got it back and then lose it again. That's horrible." Clara said, she may not exactly like the Time Lords but it was still the Doctor's home (or so she was aware). The Doctor just grimaced, eyes locked to the sight of her supposed home in ruins, her thoughts spiralling down darker. She was brought back to reality by Yaz.

"Doctor …" Yaz wasn't sure what she was trying to say. Sorry for all their comments? Apologies for her loss? Ask for an explanation for why she hadn't told them? The Doctor seemed to understand though and just smiled sadly, nodding at her.

**MASTER [hologram]: Geo-activated. If you're seeing this, you've been to Gallifrey. When I said someone did that, obviously I meant I did. I had to make them pay for what I discovered. They lied to us, the founding fathers of Gallifrey. Everything we were told was a lie. We are not who we think, you or I. The whole existence of our species built on the lie of the Timeless Child.  
(The Doctor gets a sudden headache and flashes of images.)  
VOICES: The Timeless Child. The Timeless Child.**

"Wait, Doc. Didn't those rag things on Desolation say something about that to you?" Graham asked. The Doctor nodded grimly. The Master smirked at her but it wavered too much for it to have its normal effect. They had both been burnt by what he had discovered and soon others would know about it too.

Surprisingly it wasn't Jack or River that snapped first it was Martha. Martha shot up to her feet, eyes dark and fists clenched tightly. "You! How could you?! Was it not bad enough destroying Earth and torturing the Doctor for a year but now you destroy your own people! Your own home!"

"Oh, Saint Martha you know nothing. Even you would take offense to the truth. You'll all hate them as much as I do when you discover the truth about what they did to your precious Doctor." The Master's smirk was back in full force, teeth obvious in a shark grin. Then a pillow hit him smack in the face, ruining the tense atmosphere he'd created and causing him to glare sharply at the culprit – a furious Doctor.

"Leave Martha alone. What Gallifrey did was horrible but they didn't all deserve to suffer for it. The majority of them were innocent." She glared at him, only looking away to check on Martha who was being calmed by her husband and Donna, but still glaring at the Master, as was most of the room.

The Master scoffed. "You know full well none of them were innocent." They glared at each other, neither wanting to give in. The Doctor looked away first, deciding the argument wasn't worthwhile at the minute; the video wasn't over and she wasn't sure what she could say to defend them without bringing up too many old memories.

Plus, she had to stop River and Jack from doing anything stupid, the rest of the room had more self-control. Both other time traveller's hands were white with how hard they were clenching their hands into fists and both were watching the Doctor intensely.

"What does he mean Doctor? What did they do to you?" Jack managed to grit out between locked teeth, expression furious, River's matching on her other side. Their former comforting presence was starting to feel suffocating.

"I can't tell you Jack, I'm sorry. You'll find out soon though. You all will." The Doctor sighed.

"Doctor-." River started, equally furious and worried.

The Doctor just smiled sadly. "Spoilers, sweetie."

**MASTER [hologram]: Do you see it? It's buried deep in all our memories. In our identity. I'd tell you more, but... but why would I make it easy for you? It wasn't for me.  
(Later, having picked up the rest of the 'fam'.)  
YASMIN: You okay? You're really quiet.  
RYAN: Yeah. You have been for days now.  
GRAHAM: They're right. Five planets, you've barely said a word.  
DOCTOR: I'm fine.**

"We're so sorry Doc. We were a bit pushy and harsh with you and you were grieving your home. We were poking our noses where they didn't belong and far too soon after all the trouble." Graham apologised, the other two nodding along apologetically.

"No, it's not your fault Graham. I didn't tell you what happened or much about me. I just figured if I kept you at a distance you would be safer. I'm sorry too." The Doctor sighed, smiling sadly as she explained to the three. They offered back their own sad smiles. They understood more about her mood over the time now and they were thinking back on all their comments with a wince. There had been several rough moments leading up to the mess with the Cybermen and this just put them all in a new light.

**GRAHAM: Why don't you ever share anything with us?  
DOCTOR: I share stuff.  
GRAHAM: Not about yourself, though.  
RYAN: Yeah, you know everything about us.  
YASMIN: And we know nothing about you.  
GRAHAM: Mmm.  
DOCTOR: Fine. What do you want to know?  
GRAHAM: Who are you, Doc? I mean, really.**

"She never really shares much about herself. You either have to corner her or you pick stuff up during adventures." Clara frowned, trying to explain a bit more to the current companions even though she still wanted to learn more about the Doctor. You couldn't push her or you would lose any ground and trust you had.

"I'm old. Many of my memories are too laced with grief and they hurt. Plus, I have lived a long life, it would take a long time to explain even a hundredth of the things I have done and seen and lost. I decided a long time ago that none of you needed to be burdened with all that." The Doctor tried to explain, eyes dark and swirling with age old grief.

"We get that Doctor but we're your family and you don't have to hide everything from us." Donna smiled softly, for once quiet and soft, as if talking to a scared child. The Doctor smiled sadly at her, stars she loved them all but it didn't make everything stop hurting.

**DOCTOR: I was born on a planet called Gallifrey in the constellation of Kasterborous. I'm a Time Lord. I can regenerate my body. I stole this Tardis and I ran away. I've been travelling ever since. The Master was one of my oldest friends. We went very different ways. Questions?  
GRAHAM: Loads.  
YASMIN: Can we visit your home?  
DOCTOR: Another time.**

"Sorry Doctor." Yaz winced, she had forgotten about her question. Now the Doctor's reaction made perfect sense.

"Like I said Yaz, no worries. You didn't know because I didn't tell you." The Doctor shrugged. "So, next video?" She received a round of nods from the room after the companions shared a glance. They knew pushing the Doctor wouldn't get them anymore answers and she was too caught up in her own thoughts to really say anything more. It was better to push on and hope the videos gave them more answers, hope the videos would show them this secret that had hurt the Doctor, that had made the Tardis bring them here. The secret that the Master had burned Gallifrey to ashes for.


	7. Fugitive of the Judoon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!  
> Thanks again for all the support, I'm glad you're all enjoying the story so far.  
> Just to remind you I will do my best to update every weekend, usually Sunday's depending on how prepared I am.  
> Please let me know what you think! I love reading your comments!  
> Thanks for reading and enjoy!  
> Robyn

On the screen the words ‘Fugitive of the Judoon’ appeared on screen. The current Team TARDIS shared a worried look; they had a feeling they knew what was going to be shown. The three humans were curious and eager to know what had happened when the Doctor disappeared with Ruth, she had never told them the full story and now they would get to see but the last video still weighed heavy on their minds.

The Doctor took a deep breath, gaining the room’s attention. “This video is set a little while after the last one but I don’t think you need to know anything about the adventures in-between to understand it.” The room nodded, apprehensive about what they would be shown as the video started.

**[Kitchen]**

**(A woman watches the hand on her analogue watch tick round, biting her lip. The toast pops up and she butters a slice to have with her boiled egg.)  
RUTH: Proper.   
LEE: Oh. I said I'd make you your birthday breakfast.   
RUTH: Yeah, well, I was hungry and you were dead to the world.   
LEE: Sorry.   
RUTH: Truckload of presents should make up for that.   
LEE: Yeah, about that.   
RUTH: I'm joking. No presents. Just a cake.   
LEE: Yeah.   
RUTH: You have got me a cake?   
LEE: Yeah, I'm all over the cake.   
RUTH: Mmm. Now there's an image. All right, Monday, Do your worst.   
(They kiss.)   
LEE: Have a great day.   
RUTH: I will.   
(She leaves the apartment block with a smile on her face for all she meets.) **

“Anyone else getting horror movie vibes?” Bill proclaimed to the room, only getting silence in return. “No just me, okay then.” That earned a few chuckles.

**[Path]**

**(Handing out flyers to other pedestrians.)  
RUTH: Whoa. You all right, love? Hello. Hello. Hello, pooch. Have a leaflet. All right. Thanks. Morning. Have one of these. Thanks. Hi. You all right? Morning, Reggie. **

**[College Green]**

**(And takes her position outside Gloucester Cathedral to conduct guided tours.)  
RUTH: Hello, good morning. First time in Gloucester? Try my guided tour. First time in Gloucester? Is this your first time in Gloucester? Try my guided tour. This is me. Try my guided tour. I know all the exciting facts about Gloucester yes, I do. Test me.   
TOURIST: Go on, then. Tell me something.   
RUTH: Okay. In 1216, the cathedral hosted the coronation of King Henry III, and he was only nine at the time. They filmed Harry Potter here, too. **

Martha grinned at the mention of Harry Potter sharing a glance with the Doctor who burst out laughing, soon joined by Martha. Their laughter drew confused looks from the rest of the group. Rory was the first one brave enough to ask. “Do we know what’s so funny?”

Martha and the Doctor shared another look, grins wide. Martha was the one who answered, managing to get a few words out between her laughter “Shakespeare…. Witches…. Harry Potter.”

“Well, that explained just about nothing.” Amy said but she was smiling, the good mood was infectious and everyone had been so tense over the last video, it was nice for a change of pace.

**  
TOURIST: (suddenly interested) Oh.  
RUTH: Yeah. Well, plenty more where that came from. Tours start at ten, twelve, and two.   
(Gives her a flyer.)   
TOURIST: I'll... think about it.   
RUTH: Yeah. She won't think about it.   
MARCIA: No, dear, she won't.   
RUTH: Oh well, never mind. Day's still young. **

**[Coffee bar]**

**(A dubious looking plastic cup of frothy brown liquid.)  
ALLAN: It's meant to be a heart.   
RUTH: Er, it needs work. **

A few people in the room chuckled, that ways saying the least.

**  
ALLAN: I know. Man spends his entire life behind a bar, pivoting to the cafe trade ain't easy, but I try. For you, I'd try anything.  
RUTH: Allan, we've talked about this.   
ALLAN: Oh, I know you're with Lee, but you deserve better.   
RUTH: Oh.   
ALLAN: You know there's something wrong there.   
(He puts a brown folder on the counter, with Lee's photo on the front.)   
RUTH: Is that an actual dossier?   
ALLAN: Yes, on Lee. My Lee dossier. **

“He’s a bit obsessed with Lee. Who actually creates a dossier?” Rose asked the room at large, disbelief clear in her voice.

**  
RUTH: Oh, come on.  
ALLAN: He hardly talk to anyone, cuts his own hair, gets weird books out from the library, claims that his family's from round here but I can't find anyone who knew them. How can you trust that?   
RUTH: Thank you for my birthday coffee.   
ALLAN: Ruth, I'm telling you, I hear things. They don't call me All Ears Allan for nothing.   
RUTH: It's not a nickname if you give it to yourself, is it?   
(She leaves with the coffee but not the dossier.) **

**[Judoon spaceship]**

**(Scanner locating target in south-west England, towards the Welsh border. The Commander enters.)  
JUDOON: Ko Fro Lo.   
JUDOON 2: Bo Fro Sho To. No Bo Ko.   
JUDOON: Mo Lo So. No Kro Do.   
(They fire a beam at the target area.) **

“Are those rhinos?” Bill asked, blinking at the screen confused.

The Doctor answered, “No.” While the rest of the room that had encountered the Judoon, including River and Jack (who should and did know better) answered “Yes.”

The Doctor gave the group a stern look, ruined slightly by how her lip was twitching up as if she wanted to smile. She just sighed, turning to answer Bill properly. “I’m pretty sure I will explain later in the video but they are essentially trigger-happy intergalactic police.” She paused for a second, in which River nudged her gently. “They just happen to bear a fair resemblance to an Earth rhinoceros, yes.” That gained a smile from Bill (she was doing her best to hide it but she loved River and the Doctor’s relationship, their interactions were just adorable and she was looking forward to seeing more about them on screen).

**[Tardis]**

**RYAN: She's doing it again. Spending hours at the controls looking for something. Thinks we haven't noticed.  
GRAHAM: I'll ask her. Hey, Doc, what are you looking for?   
DOCTOR: How long have you been there?   
YASMIN: Twenty minutes?   
DOCTOR: You haven't. **

She winced, feeling a bit guilty at the reminder that she had been so distant. “Sorry gang.” They smiled reassuringly at her; things made more sense now and all their comments over the adventures between the last video and this weighed heavily on their minds. There was, however, a muttered comment from Ryan about the name though.

**  
RYAN: What you looking for?  
DOCTOR: Not looking for anything.   
YASMIN: Don't lie to us.   
DOCTOR: The Master. **

“Ooh, chasing after me dear. That’s a reversal of the normal way of things.” The Master smirked at her, openly smug about her admitting to looking for him. It quickly soured in his stomach, he knew why she was looking for him and it wasn’t just to see him. She ignored him, unsure how to deal with him especially with what this video was going to show. She didn’t know if Ruth’s reveal would make him smug or furious, he was so unstable and his moods were unpredictable at the moment, even for her. She was also terrified about Jack and River to find out about everything, their reaction wouldn’t be pretty, especially with River’s upbringing.

**  
GRAHAM: Why would you do that?  
YASMIN: The Kasaavin took him.   
DOCTOR: Yes. They transported him to their dimension and I can't get there in the Tardis, but I thought if he escaped, I could track him. There's no sign.   
RYAN: I thought he'd be the last person you'd want to see.   
DOCTOR: He left a message for me.   
GRAHAM: Saying what?   
DOCTOR: It's personal.   
YASMIN: Is that where you go, when you leave us to explore and you say you'll be back in an hour but you never are? Are you out looking for him? Where do you go?   
DOCTOR: Home. On my own.   
YASMIN: Why? Why not with us?   
DOCTOR: Cos you ask too many questions.   
GRAHAM: Maybe because we're worried about you? I mean, one minute you're all smiles, next minute your mind's somewhere else. **

The trio winced, shooting apologetic looks at the Doctor who offered her own apologetic glance back. They had just been curious and rightfully so with all the secrets she had been keeping and the whole mess with the Master, but there was so much history to explain for them to even get a small understanding of how she had been feeling about Gallifrey. She didn’t even know how she actually felt about Gallifrey’s destruction – she’d always run away and she had hated all the secrets but it had still been her home for a while and she’d had friends and family there. **  
(Alarm sounds.)  
JUDOON [OC]: Kro Kro Tro Kro So Fro So So To. Kro Kro Tro Kro (continues under dialogue)   
RYAN: What is that?   
DOCTOR: A Judoon warning transmission. The cheek.   
YASMIN: Judoon? **

Martha shivered slightly, her encounter with the Judoon was very memorable, they were how she met the Doctor and she had almost died alongside the whole hospital and half the earth. Mickey threw her a concerned look, as did the Doctor. She offered both of them a reassuring smile, she would be fine she just needed a second.

**  
GRAHAM: Are you just saying that to shut us up?  
DOCTOR: Dangerous intergalactic police for hire. Notice of a zonal enforcement field on Earth. No one can get in or out. What? They're preparing to beam down there. A platoon of Judoon, near the moon. They can't do that. They've got no jurisdiction there. Right in the centre of Gloucester. I am not having that. If I can match the Tardis's rotation to the frequency of the enforcement field's refresh rate, I might just might be able to slip us in before anyone gets killed.   
GRAHAM: I thought you said they were the police.   
DOCTOR: Trigger-happy police. **

“That really isn’t reassuring. Why are they in Gloucester of all places?” Clara asked bemused. The three companions and the Doctor shared a glance.

“They were looking for someone.” The Doctor answered looking a bit nervous.

“Well, that would explain the title of the video.” Donna snorted.

**[Judoon ship]**

**JUDOON: Do Po Lo Sho. No Dro Fo Ro. Zo. To Fo Ro. Dro Ro Fro.  
(The squad assembles and comes to attention.)   
JUDOON: Bo. Dro. **

“What are they saying?” Bill asked curious, tilting her head at the screen as if that would allow her to understand the alien language.

“They’re getting their orders.” The Doctor answered, fidgeting.

**[College Green]**

**(The squad beams in to a small street within sight of the Cathedral tower, a small bridge and College Green.)  
JUDOON: So Zo Ro. To Sho Fro. So Zo To. No Fo Lo.   
(They start scanning people. Ruth watches, worried.)   
JUDOON: No Fo Lo.   
(And stamping the back of their hands with an X.)   
JUDOON: No Fo Bo Bo Lo. Ro. Bo Ro Kro To Fro Bo. Zo.   
(The little old lady confronts a Judoon.)   
RUTH: Marcia, don't!   
MARCIA: How dare you. This is a peaceful, small city. Who even are you?   
(It disintegrates her knitting.)   
JUDOON: Tro Ko Sho.   
MARCIA: That took me nine weeks.   
MARCIA [OC]: That took me nine weeks.   
JUDOON: Language, human. **

“At least we can understand them now.” Rose said, gaining several nods of agreement. The situation wasn’t looking good but being able to understand the Judoon made it slightly better.

**  
(One of the squad hands her a ticket.)  
MARCIA: What's this?   
JUDOON: Compensation for your weapon.   
RUTH: Answer her question. Who are you?   
JUDOON: We are (removes helmet) the Judoon.   
RUTH: Oh... my... God.   
JUDOON: You will be catalogued.   
MARCIA: I will not. Stay away from me.   
(Marcia runs.)   
RUTH: No. Marcia!   
(Marcia runs into a forcefield and gets disintegrated.)   
JUDOON: Enforcement field perimeter at maximum strength.   
RUTH: You killed her. **

The room was silent, a mix of shock and sadness for seeing yet another person die for no apparent reason except being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Marcia, the brief moments they’d seen her on screen, had seemed like a lovely old lady and hadn’t deserved her fate. For the companions in the room who hadn’t met the Judoon before it made clear what they were like, and everyone was felling more nervous about what the video would be showing them.

**  
JUDOON 2: Category, human. Fugitive match, negative.  
RUTH: What do you want with us?   
JUDOON: All within the perimeter must be catalogued. The fugitive is here. **

**[Coffee shop]**

**(Lee enters.)  
ALLAN: Well, look who it isn't.   
LEE: I've come to get the cake that I've ordered for Ruth's birthday.   
ALLAN: Oh, got it right here. A special birthday message to her.   
(In green icing - you can do better.) **

“Ooh he really doesn’t like Lee.” Bill cringed.

“The dossier didn’t give that away?” Clara grinned at the younger girl.

“Fair enough but like, did he have to ruin Ruth’s birthday cake just to annoy Lee?” Bill agreed.

“Yeah, that’s more than a bit petty.” Clara shook her head.

**  
LEE: What is the matter with you? Why don't you let it go?  
ALLAN: You want to take this outside?   
LEE: Stop asking me that every time I come in here for a latte.   
(The Tardis materialises nearby.)   
LEE: Humans. **

“So, Lee’s the fugitive then?” Rose declared. “I mean the whole ‘human’ comment suggests he isn’t right?”

“Yeah, but it doesn’t it feel a bit obvious? Like in a movie Lee would definitely be the red herring.” Bill argued.

“This is real life not a movie though.” Martha argued. “I hope not though for Ruth’s sake.”

**  
DOCTOR [OC]: Through here.  
ALLAN: What are you doing in my kitchen?   
DOCTOR: Stay inside and keep the door closed. Do not let anyone in, especially alien police in helmets and yRYAN: The city's under siege. We're going to sort it.   
(Lee bolts for the door.) **

“That’s definitely not suspicious.” Amy drawled from her spot, leaning into her husband who shook his head slightly at his wife.

**  
ALLAN: Oh yeah, go on. Get out, coward.  
YASMIN: What is up with him?   
ALLAN: How long you got?   
DOCTOR: No time at all. Stay inside. Lock the door. Come on, gang, no time.   
GRAHAM: No, no, guys. Look at this little lot. Lovely. Look at the state of that. That's the worst cake I've ever seen.   
(Graham vanishes.) **

“Oh, so that’s what happened to you grandad.” Ryan said. Yaz and the Doctor grinned. Graham shook his head in exasperation, sometimes he felt like he was babysitting all three of them.

“I can’t believe you didn’t even notice.” Graham complained.

“We were a bit busy and it’s not my job to look after you.” Ryan rolled his eyes.

**[College Green]**

**LEE: Ruth, I've been looking everywhere for you.  
RUTH: (frightened) Have you seen?   
LEE: Yeah.   
RUTH: They're aliens.   
LEE: I know, I know.   
RUTH: Real aliens. They killed Marcia.   
LEE: What?   
RUTH: Marcia's dead.   
LEE: We need to get home. Now. **

“He is acting very suspicious.” Donna pointed out, gaining nods of agreement from most of the room. He didn’t seem to be freaking out over the whole alien thing.

**[Coffee bar]**

**(The Judoon turn up just as Allan turns the sign from Open to Closed.)  
ALLAN: Space rhinos? I've got no money. I'm sorry, I'm terrible at this job.   
JUDOON: Category, human. Fugitive match, negative.   
ALLAN: Oh, you're after a fugitive? I can help. He just left. On the counter, there's a dossier. It's really thorough.   
The Judoon takes the file, sweeping a large mug to the floor and smashing it.) **

“Oh, so now Lee is definitely a target, great.” Rory muttered.

**  
ALLAN: Hey, watch it, you big... lunk.  
(He shoves the Judoon.) **

Martha and the others that knew the Judoon winced. “That’s a bad idea.” Martha sighed, she remembered the Judoon and the hospital all too clearly.

**  
ALLAN: Sorry.  
JUDOON: Assaulting an officer. Sentence, execution. (Allan is disintegrated) Sentence complete. **

The group looked down again. Allan may have been petty and suspicious but he didn’t deserve to die like that.

**[Apartment]**

**LEE: Okay. Need to grab some essentials, a few clothes. We need to go.  
RUTH: What are you talking about? Go where?   
LEE: Do you trust me, Ruth?   
RUTH: Sometimes.   
LEE: You need to just do what I say. Just get some clothes and put them in a suitcase.   
RUTH: They can't be after you. They're aliens. They've got the heads of rhinos. You're from Stroud, Lee. (not Guildford, after all?) If there's something I need to know, you tell me right now.   
LEE: There's no time. Come on. **

“Lee absolutely knows something but at least he’s trying to keep Ruth safe.” Clara said, watching the screen carefully. The episode just kept getting more confusing and so far it seemed to have no link to the Doctor or Gallifrey but it must have to be a part of the secret the Tardis had brought them to see.

**[Outside the apartment block]**

**JUDOON: Fugitive house unit located. Prepare isolator.  
DOCTOR: I hope you've got a permit for that.   
(She flashes the psychic paper.) **

“Ah the good old psychic paper.” Jack grinned. He was excited as he had a feeling that he was going to be showing up soon and was looking forward to everyone’s reactions.

**  
JUDOON: You're an Imperial Regulator?  
DOCTOR: Yes. And there's plenty here to regulate. For starters, you don't have jurisdiction here, so why you're using a Class Seven Enforcement Field around this city bothers me a lot. More importantly, this temporal isolator is an outlawed piece of kit. Radiation leakage and civilian casualties. Designed to freeze time but causes horrific collateral damage to anything and anyone that gets in its path. Horrible thing. **

The Master leaned forward, looking very excited about such a dangerous weapon. He was getting annoyed with the Doctor who had been ignoring him all episode, whatever they were going to see she didn’t want him to know about.

The rest of the group were looking more nervous; they were all doing the maths in their head. Dangerous weapon + trigger happy alien police = nothing good.

**  
RYAN: Hey, you're not using that thing here, pal, so consider your rhino backside imperially regulated. It sounded tougher in me head.  
JUDOON: Fugitive is highly dangerous. Precautions must be taken. **

“What did he do for him to be considered so dangerous?” Mickey asked, raising his eyebrows. He aimed his question at the Doctor and current companions who were the only ones who were actually likely to know. The three companions looked at the Doctor, they didn’t really know the full story. The Doctor just shifted uncomfortably in her seat, this episode was only going to get worse.

**  
DOCTOR: Not that weapon, not here. Humans will die, and you, Captain, will have racked up enough violations to ensure that your troop never get hired again. Look at you and your platoon of Judoon near the... that lagoon.  
YASMIN: More of a canal. **

“Don’t ruin it for me Yaz.” The Doctor pouted, Yaz just rolled her eyes in answer smiling. River smiled softly at her wife, glad to see her in a slightly better mood. She’s been uncomfortable and nervous ever since the start of the episode and it was worrying her.

**  
RYAN: Yeah.  
DOCTOR: Where's your pride? Where's your respect for the rules? I'm very disappointed in you. So we will take over from here.   
JUDOON: Negative. Mission must be fulfilled by the contracted troop. Judoon Engagement Article 163B.   
DOCTOR: That article is overridden by local Earth law... 12, which clearly states that any potential arrestee is entitled to arbitration with a third party. Isn't that correct, Liaison Officer Khan?   
YASMIN: Absolutely correct. 100 percent. Rule 12? Massive. **

“And now is the time during the trouble where we try to bluff our way out of said trouble.” Rose grinned. Others laughed and nodded along, they always seemed to find themselves trying to lie their way out of trouble at some point.

**  
DOCTOR: Imperial regulation. So you will give us the time to go in there and arbitrate. That weapon will not need to be used. Clear? Come on. We can sort this, woman to woman. Give me ten Earth minutes and we can have this resolved for you.  
JUDOON: Five minutes.   
DOCTOR: Nine.   
JUDOON: Four. **

“I’m pretty sure that’s not how that works.” Rory shook his head while Amy smiled, glad to see nothing had changed with the Doctor.

**  
DOCTOR: Er, fine. I'll take five. I hate it when they do that. We'd best take the lift. Hang on, where's Graham?  
RYAN: I don't know.   
DOCTOR: Have you lost him?   
RYAN: He's not my responsibility. He's always a few steps behind. I've stopped checking.   
JUDOON: Four minutes thirty.   
DOCTOR: We haven't started yet. Come on. **

“Hang on, it seriously took you lot that long to notice I was missing?!” Graham said, turning to the others who grinned back a bit sheepish.

**[Spaceship]**

**(Graham wakes up on a flat tiled surface in a very large room.)  
HARKNESS [OC]: Don't move. Seriously, not a muscle. Working on the movement sensors. If you even flinch, it'll set off the laser spikes. Trust me, they get everywhere. By the way, looking good. **

Graham groaned before blushing. He had forgotten about this. He looked nervously at Ryan, who glanced back confused. Grahm didn’t have anything against the kiss (honestly it had been quite good) but he didn’t particularly want his grandson to see it, he knew how much Ryan and Yaz would tease him.

**  
GRAHAM: Who is this? What's going on? Where am I? And where are you?  
HARKNESS [OC]: Neutralised. Coming to join you. You can get excited now.   
(Captain Jack pops in from thin air.) **

“Jack!” Rose laughed, big grin on her face at seeing Jack appear. The companions that knew him were all wearing similar grins, glad to see that he was still around to look after the Doctor. He stood up and took a few mocking bows, a grin threatening to break his face in half. It had been a long time since he had this much fun or been this comfortable. He was getting to see so many old friends, people he knew he could trust and spend some proper time with the Doctor (the only drawback so far was the Master and the tension around this big secret. When he sat back down, he was treated to an elbow in the side from the Doctor and a roll of her eyes while River only laughed.

**  
HARKNESS: Ha! You missed me, right? Ha, ha.  
(And gives Graham a big kiss.) **

“Graham! You didn’t tell us about that.” Ryan exclaimed; mouth open in shock. Yaz mirrored his expression, staring at Graham who was blushing.

“Don’t worry Graham, he’s like that with most people.” The Doctor laughed, grinning at Jack who grinned back and then winked at Graham, making him blush further. He hid his face in his hands, trying desperately to hide his blush from the youngsters who were still too gobsmacked to start their teasing.

**  
GRAHAM: Have we met?  
HARKNESS: Still cheeky. Regeneration can't change that. Got to say, loving the grey at the temple. Kind of distinguished yet still sexy. Oh, come here.   
(Big bear hug.)   
GRAHAM: Whoa.   
HARKNESS: How you been, Doctor?   
GRAHAM: Ah.   
(Be fair, Jack hasn't seen the Doctor since Journey's End...) **

“Jack!” Rose berated him, looking like she was about to get up to hit him. “You can’t just teleport people and kiss them without knowing for sure who they are!” She nodded to the Doctor who elbowed him in the side again for Rose.

“Ow! I’m sorry. To be fair she’s been male for 13 bodies and I was trying to scoop her, wasn’t expecting to get a companion.” Jack tried to defend himself. The Doctor just grinned and shook her head at the scene, laughing. It definitely brought her back to the old days when the three of them had travelled together before Satellite 5.

**[Apartment]**

**(Ruth opens the door.)  
DOCTOR: Pay attention, cos every word I'm about to say is true. There's a nasty bunch of alien police outside. They're pointing a highly dangerous cannon at this flat, and they'll fire it in about, er, four minutes. I might be able to stop them, but I need to understand exactly why they're here, so you need to let us in, quick.   
(She does.)   
DOCTOR: Right, tell us everything.   
LEE: Who are you? We need to leave.   
DOCTOR: Right into the arms of intergalactic mercenaries who seem to think you are a fugitive from justice.   
LEE: They've got it wrong.   
DOCTOR: Sure about that?   
LEE: Yeah. It's mistaken identity.   
RUTH: He works at Bathrooms4U, for God's sake.   
DOCTOR: You'd better be telling the truth, both of you, otherwise the Judoon will have you for harbouring the fugitive, and their justice is brutal.   
RUTH: I'm not harbouring anyone.   
YASMIN: If you're both so innocent, why are your bags packed?   
RYAN: Yeah, like you're about to go on the run. **

“Police training coming in handy.” Ryan laughed.

“More common sense.” Yaz grinned back.

**  
DOCTOR: Khan and Sinclair with the key questions. Not that you'll get very far, given the enforcement perimeter they've just knocked up. Come on, quick with the truth. We've got about three minutes, probably less. What are you hiding? Check the flat, see what's here. If it isn't these two, it could be something inside here.  
RUTH: You're not going through my flat.   
DOCTOR: Yes, they are.   
RYAN: Have you seen those things outside?   
RUTH: Yeah, and I've seen what they do, and that's why we're running.   
(The Doctor scans them with the sonic screwdriver.)   
LEE: What are you doing? What is that?   
DOCTOR: A device that tells me... you're both completely human. Please, I'm trying to save a lot of lives here, including yours. If you have any idea why the Judoon are pursuing you, you have to tell me right now. **

“Somethings up. They definitely know more than they are letting on.” Bill declared determidly.

**[Spaceship]**

**(They are being shot at.)  
GRAHAM: What the...? What's happening out there?   
HARKNESS: I guess they want their ship back.   
GRAHAM: What, this ain't your ship? **

“It never is.” Rose laughed. She gave Jack a long look, as did the Doctor, which made him grin a bit more sheepishly. It was hard to forget that he had met both Rose and the Doctor because of a stolen ambulance during his old conman days.

**  
HARKNESS: You think I'd choose this look? It doesn't even have a bar. A little evasive action. Hoping these shields are as good as they say. A few battles going on around us... You're not just kidding me? You're really not the Doctor?  
GRAHAM: Oh, no, no. My name's Graham. I just travel with the Doc.   
HARKNESS: Ha! Which is why the scoop read the wrong signal. Ho, ho. Using the old Quanticum Scoop I got from a fourple on Ibiza 13. Whoo, that was a night. Actually, that was a month. **

“You really don’t ever change Jack.” The Doctor shook her head exasperated but her grin was wide, she’d really missed him.

**  
GRAHAM: Well, look, now you know who I am, tell me who you are, why you've kidnapped me and why you're after the Doc. I mean, we're in the middle of something right now.  
HARKNESS: Captain Jack Harkness at your service. Me and the Doc, we go way back. This is important. He needs to know the future of the universe is at stake.   
GRAHAM: Not he, she.   
HARKNESS: (laughs) Oh. This I gotta see. **

“And I have to say it is a spectacular site Doc.” Jack grinned, nudging the Doctor in the side jokingly who was trying hard not to laugh.

**[Outside the apartment block]**

**JUDOON 2: Temporal isolator primed, Captain.  
JUDOON: Prepare Final Warning Missile. **

**[Apartment]]**

**DOCTOR: Find anything?  
RYAN: A few cash-flow problems, a collection of old phones and keys.   
YASMIN: I found this in the bedroom. Hollow compartment at the back of the wardrobe. **

“Well done Yaz.” The Doctor grinned. “Well done both of you.” She hadn’t had the chance to say it during the whole mess.

“Hollow compartment in the back of the wardrobe really? Can they get more cliché?” Bill threw her hands in the air.

**  
(An ornate box. The Doctor scans it.)  
DOCTOR: And that is not from Earth.   
RYAN: So where's it from?   
(Whoosh, glass breaks.)   
RUTH: Oh, my God.   
DOCTOR: What was that?   
RUTH: Just came flying through the window.   
(A red spiky cricket ball in a spiky base.) **

“Your times up and all you have is more questions. Typical.” Clara snorted.

**  
COMPUTER: Isolation of fugitive housing unit in 108 seconds.  
DOCTOR: Doesn't time fly when you don't have all the answers? So, anyone know what this is?   
(Holding up the box.)   
RUTH: No, I've never seen it before.   
LEE: Me neither.   
YASMIN: We found it hidden in your bedroom.   
DOCTOR: You'd better be telling the truth, cos there's a lot of innocent people that could die if we don't sort this out quick.   
COMPUTER: 92 seconds.   
LEE: Give me the box. **

“So Lee is absolutely the fugitive.” Rose pointed out. The current companions and the Doctor shared a glance which only Bill noticed. Bill still wasn’t quite convinced that Lee was the fugitive, it seemed to easy to figure out and nothing in the Doctor’s life was that easy.

**  
COMPUTER: 82 seconds.  
LEE: Give me the box.   
RUTH: Lee? What is that?   
LEE: It's nothing.   
RUTH: No, it clearly is something, cos suddenly you're all bothered about it, and I've never seen it before in my life.   
LEE: You're in charge, right?   
DOCTOR: It's a very flat team structure. **

The current companions shared a grin with the Doctor as did many of the other companions in a room, the Master rolled his eyes in his corner, still annoyed by the Doctor ignoring him.

**  
LEE: You're the smartest. I can see it in your eyes. Use the fire exit out the back. Take Ruth. Get her out and make sure she's okay. I can take care of this.  
RTH: What? No, you can't.   
DOCTOR: What's in the box, Lee? Who are you really?   
LEE: It's none of your business.   
DOCTOR: You've got half of Gloucester under Judoon lockdown. I'm making it my business. **

“Like usual, sweetie. You aren’t capable of just leaving trouble alone.” River sighed at her wife teasingly.

“Like you can talk. You’re worse than me half the time.” The Doctor argued back, arms crossed. River just laughed at the Doctor who gave in and laughed as well after a minute.

**  
COMPUTER: 45 seconds.  
LEE: I can deal with this. Just take Ruth.   
COMPUTER: 40 seconds.   
LEE: Look, I've... I've made a mistake. You're the most important thing in my life. I can't let others lose their lives. I need to make sure you're safe. **

“That’s sweet. I’m glad he still wants to look after Ruth.” Martha said, snuggling further back into her husband, this whole episode was making her tense, it was like the whole room was waiting for something and she didn’t like it.

**  
RUTH: What do you mean, a mistake?  
LEE: I just need to talk to them, okay?   
RUTH: But they're space rhinos, Lee. What are you going to chat to them about? **

“They’re not overly fond of talking either.” Jack said, looking a bit worried. He hadn’t really gotten the chance to actually see what was going on in Gloucester, he’d just been trying to scoop the Doctor to warn her, and it was making him nervous. Whatever was going to happen in this episode was important to this big secret and he couldn’t figure out why yet, he was sure his presence didn’t warren them watching the episode, as nice as that would have been

. **  
COMPUTER: 23 seconds.  
DOCTOR: They'll see us getting out of the fire escape. Unless...   
DOCTOR+YASMIN+RYAN: Diversion. **

The three grinned at each other.

Amy just grinned, verging on maniacal. “Ah, the classic tactic for dealing with trouble.”

**  
RYAN: Look, you take Ruth. We'll go out the front and distract the space feds.  
LEE: You think that'll work?   
RYAN: Come on.   
RUTH: No, cos I'm not going anywhere without Lee.   
YASMIN: I'm a police officer. I speak their language. A bit of stalling, buy time to get them away. Then we can come inside with them and be by your side.   
LEE: I don't need you to be here.   
YASMIN: You obviously do, because there's a cannon about to fire at your flat. **

“Good on you, Yaz.” Graham smiled at the girl proud. “You’ll get to use your day job for once.”

**  
COMPUTER: Time limit exceeded. Initiating temporal isolation.  
DOCTOR: We're out of time. It's the best plan we've got for keeping this block safe. Right, be careful. The Judoon might look dumb, but they're deadly.   
LEE: Go to the cathedral. I'll meet you there, okay?   
RUTH: You better.   
LEE: Not going to miss your birthday, am I? (kiss) Go, go, before they launch that thing.   
COMPUTER: ..full documentation available on request.   
LEE: See you at the cathedral. **

The group that had been there winced, they didn’t know what had happened t Lee in detail but they could guess, he’d never made it to the cathedral.

**[Outside the apartment]**

**JUDOON: Activate Temporal Blast.  
(The squad wind up the machine.)   
YASMIN: Stop. Arbitration complete.   
JUDOON: Arbitration result?   
RYAN: You can come in now.   
YASMIN: So long as you turn that off.   
JUDOON: Pause isolation. Remain here.   
RYAN: No fugitives in there, by the way.   
YASMIN: And as for you lot, I don't want you using that.   
(Yasmin and Ryan vanish.) **

Half the room groaned, having worked out what happened. “Seriously Jack, your timing is terrible.” Rose complained, throwing him a look which made him wince a bit sheepishly. He’d noticed the looks the current companions were shooting the Doctor and had figured out his ill-timed scoop likely hadn’t helped Lee.

**[Apartment]**

**LEE: Keeping my promise.  
(He texts the word Follow. The Judoon break down the door.)   
JUDOON: Surrender. This property now under Judoon jurisdiction.   
LEE: I surrender, okay? You can tell your boss. You... you got me. **

“Question is who is the boss? And when will we finally get some stupid answers?” Nardole muttered, the room mumbled some agreements, maybe this boss would give them some answers about what was going on.

**[Spaceship]**

**YASMIN: Graham.  
RYAN: What just happened?   
YASMIN: What are we doing here?   
GRAHAM: Short answers. This guy, stolen ship, being fired at. **

“It’s nice to get the full story now at least.” Ryan declared, getting a nod of agreement from Yaz.

**  
RYAN: We need to get back. And who are you?  
HARKNESS: Young. I like you young. But silver fox said, she, not he. So you, not you, right? **

“Wrong again Jack. You’re losing your touch.” The Doctor grinned at the immortal who put his hand to his heart and mocked offense.

**  
GRAHAM: I hope you kept the receipt for the scoop.  
HARKNESS: Seriously? Three of you? I had a dream about this once. **

“Jack!”

**  
(Crash!)  
HARKNESS: Whoa! Hold on to something.   
(Alarms sound.) **

“And you always complain about my driving.” The Doctor complained. The rest of the room all raised an eyebrow at her.

“Because your driving is terrible, dear. You’d think after all these millennia you would actually have some control, but no.” The Master drawled from his corner, gaining some glares form the rest of the room, no one had forgotten what he’d done. The Doctor continued to ignore him, getting frustrated he tried to nudge her through their mental link but was met with a mental blank wall. Whatever was coming she really didn’t want him to see.

**[Apartment]**

**JUDOON: Incoming matter transmission.  
(A humanoid female beams in.)   
JUDOON: Commander Gat, your presence is not required.   
GAT: Could've fooled me. I've been watching it all. You're so noisy. Talk about sledgehammers to crack a nut. **

“Anyone recognise her?” Donna asked the room. They had all collectively leaned forward in their seats to try and inspect the new person, hoping for answers to this mystery. The answer was mumbled mostly in the negative. The Doctor shrunk in her seat, lost in memories and frustrated with her lack of other memories; she still didn’t really know much about Gat.

**  
JUDOON 2: Presenting occupant of housing unit.  
GAT: Hello, old friend. I see you're back from the dead. We had such a moving funeral for you. But I suppose that was your intention. Did you really think that we wouldn't find you? Did you think that I'd ever stop looking? Good place to hide, mind, the far backside of a tiny galaxy. **

“Okay so they knew each other than he faked his death and hid on Earth. I feel like we’re still missing something.” Clara summarised what they knew to the group.

“Yeah, like what did he do that made them call the Judoon to track him down.” Rose added. Everyone who didn’t know what happened was trying desperately tp put the pieces together and failing.

**  
LEE: How did you find me?  
(The box.)   
GAT: Sentiment was always going to be your downfall. You kept it. Silly. Chronotelluric alloy, strong entanglement. Very trackable. It just takes a while. **

“Very stupid if you don’t want to be found. It must be important than.” River said, glancing at her wife who was refusing to look away from the screen. This whole thing, the videos, this secret, everything was frustrating River – she was worried for her wife and she just wanted answers.

**  
LEE: Yeah, well, I wanted to repair it, polish it. My service medal. Honour and courage still mean something.**

“So, he was a soldier?” Martha asked. The Doctor could practically see the cogs turning in her friends’ heads, she had the feeling if they had a pen and paper, they would be writing down these clues trying to solve the mystery.

“That would make sense.” Amy agreed nodding.

**  
GAT: I agree.  
(He puts down the box with the broken medal in it and reaches for the drawer. She's got there first.)   
GAT: See, this is the problem with our identical training. We share all the same tricks. Kill him.   
JUDOON: Detained fugitive must be transferred to contracted...   
GAT: No, idiot. You didn't scan him yet, did you?   
JUDOON:Uh huh.   
GAT: Bless.   
(The Judoon scans Lee.)   
JUDOON: Fugitive, negative. Explain. **

“Hah! Told you too easy.” Bill announced, fist pumping into the air in her excitement. Then she realised what she had done and brought her hand back into her lap a bit sheepish.

“True you called that one.” Clara conceded, smiling at the other woman. “But then who is the fugitive?”

The room lapsed into thoughtful silence for a few moments all trying to work it out, while the current companions shared a glance trying not to give anything away.

“Ruth!” Rory suddenly announced into the silence. He continued after seeing several confused expressions. “I mean, Lee seemed desperate to get her away and he’s the only one that knows anything.”

“That would make sense, and we did start the video with Ruth. But what has she done and why doesn’t she know anything about it?” Martha agreed, many of the other companions nodding along.

“More questions! Again. Ugh.” Bill complained, gaining chuckles from most of the room.

**  
GAT: I'm sorry it has to end this way. You got so close to escaping. Faithful companion.  
(She disintegrates Lee.)   
GAT: Do I have to spell it out for you? **

The group winced. They’d been so distracted trying to figure out who was the fugitive they’d forgotten the danger Lee was in, and the danger Ruth and the Doctor were now in.

The Doctor winced for an entirely different reason. If Ruth was her (she was Ruth? Whatever) then had Lee been her companion? Gat had hinted to that but she’d said they’d had the same training so had Lee been Gallifreyan and helped her escape? She hated the idea that she had gotten another companion killed, even one she didn’t remember and she hated that she couldn’t remember anything.

**[Cathedral]**

**DOCTOR: All clear. Now, you need to tell me everything you know about Lee. How long you've been together, and what was that metallic box?  
RUTH: Er...   
(Her phone beeps. Text message - Follow the light. Break the glass. Happy birthday. X. She gets a flash of West Usk Lighthouse, Gwent, which has Whovian connections.)   
DOCTOR: Is that from Lee?   
RUTH: No. It's nothing. **

“Why is she lying?” Amy asked exasperated, there always seemed to be more questions. The Doctor shrunk back further into her seat; she could remember all too clearly the lighthouse. She gained anxious looks from Jack and River who had noticed her shrink down into herself, she offered a shaky smile at the pair, which only seemed to worry them more.

**  
(They start to walk down the Norman Nave away from the choir.)  
JUDOON: This cathedral is under Judoon control. All occupants must surrender immediately. There will be no escape this time. We have you surrounded.   
(The Doctor and Ruth stand back to back as five Judoon surround them.) **

“That’s really not good. How are you going to escape?” Bill bit her lip nervously, she knew they had, or at least the Doctor had but it wasn’t reassuring her.

**  
DOCTOR: How can I help?  
JUDOON: You interfered, Regulator.   
DOCTOR: You know what they say, one person's arbitration is another person's interference. Very blurry line. This is a place of worship. Show some respect, or I'll overload those guns and make it a bad day for everyone. Now, let us go, and nobody needs to get hurt.   
(She is holding out her screwdriver.) **

“Sweetie, your screwdriver can’t fix everything no matter how much you love it.” River sighed, shaking her head. The Doctor looked back stubbornly, this was an argument they’d had several times over the years and not one she wanted to rehash here in front of everyone.

**  
RUTH: What have you done with Lee?  
JUDOON: Information request granted.   
(It shows her a projection of Lee's death.)   
JUDOON: Sentence, execution.   
DOCTOR: You murdered him. That is a violation of your contract.   
JUDOON: Incorrect. Contract stated retrieval of fugitive. Fugitive identified.   
(The scanner is pointed at Ruth.) **

“Rory was right for once.” Amy said, grinning cheekily at her husband who just rolled his eyes at his wife’s antics. As much as he liked being right, he wasn’t liking the danger the Doctor and Ruth were in.

**  
DOCTOR: What?  
JUDOON: Biological shielding decrypted. Fugitive, positive.   
(Ruth floors all the Judoon very quickly and grabs one of their weapons.)   
RUTH: That's it. Back up or Daddy Rhinoform gets it. **

“What happened there? It’s like she’s suddenly a whole new person.” Rose asked confused.

River’s eyebrows crinkled as a thought suddenly occurred to her, she glanced down at the Doctor who was still watching the screen.

**  
DOCTOR: Ruth, what are you doing?  
RUTH: It feels like... instinct against the bullies. Cos you know the thing about bullies? There's always a weak spot.   
(She rips off the Judoon's front horn. That hurts. Then she activates the communicator on its armour.)   
RUTH: Bo. Ko. Fo. Jo. To.   
(All the Judoon are beamed away.)   
DOCTOR: Do you know what you've just done? Who are you? **

“I’m guessing that’s not a good thing, tearing off their horn.” Rory asked the Doctor who shook her head, watching the screen worriedly.

“It’s a very bad idea.”

**[Spaceship]**

**(Still being shot at.)  
YASMIN: You have to get us back there. The Doctor needs us.   
HARKNESS: Listen, kid, working with some low-rent equipment here.   
RYAN: Why doesn't that surprise me?   
HARKNESS: Oh, she likes them mouthy, then, huh?   
RYAN: Yeah, one up from cheesy. **

“You haven’t changed then Captain Cheesecake.” Mickey grinned.

“Oi! That’s Captain Beefcake, Mickey Mouse!” Jack joked back. Rose just rolled her eyes at the pair.

**  
HARKNESS: Okay, he's my favourite.  
(Bang!)   
HARKNESS: Whoo. Why didn't it scoop her? Why can't I get her here? Argh! Are there Judoon anywhere near where I scooped you?   
YASMIN: Yeah. A lot.   
HARKNESS: Oh, I knew it. Level Seven Enforcement Fields. That's why I can't get accurate traces on her. Interfering with everything. Is she safe? **

The room turned to look at Jack in sync. “When is she ever safe?” River questioned Jack, who shook his head, he really should have known better. The best way to find the Doctor was to find trouble. The Doctor just pouted.

**[Cathedral]**

**(Ruth is sitting on the steps up to the altar in the Lady Chapel - I hope. The Doctor is scanning with her screwdriver.)  
DOCTOR: Total Judoon evacuation. They've even removed the enforcement perimeter. **

“Shouldn’t that be good?” Donna questioned. The Doctor just waved to the screen, she knew she’d explain in a minute.

**  
RUTH: That's got to be good?  
DOCTOR: No. Judoon switching strategy means things have got very bad and very personal now. Ruth, you just dishonoured a Judoon captain, and removing their horn is the worst insult. I think you know far more than you're telling me about Lee and about why the Judoon are here. It's time to share. **

“Okay so not good, just great.” Amy sighed.

**  
RUTH: I don't know anything. I don't even know how I did what I just did to them.  
(The Doctor scans Ruth.)   
DOCTOR: I don't have the decryption for your bio-shield. You and Lee must have both had them. Very sophisticated, like biological cloaking. **

River and Jack were both thinking back through their memories for any kind of devices that could do that, the few they could think of that might do it were nothing good.

Martha blinked suddenly, that sounded familiar but she couldn’t quite place it.

**  
RUTH: Look at me. I know my own life. I'm Ruth Clayton. I am 44. I'm married. I'm a tour guide. And I am scared. Back then... that was not me. My hands, they just moved. They...  
DOCTOR: Well, if it wasn't you, who was it?   
RUTH: I don't know. I don't understand any of this. None of this is me. It can't be. Help me.   
DOCTOR: Show me your phone. You received a message just before you turned into Jackie Chan. (reads) Follow the light. Break the glass. Ruth, I don't think you are who you say you are or who you think you are. I think there's another identity hidden within you. Maybe this text is an activation message. Words to trigger the real you, the instincts that enabled you to attack the Judoon. **

“So, you need to find the light then. Hopefully she knows what that’s all about or you’re in even more trouble.” Clara summarised with a grimace, things were only getting more confusing and dangerous.

**  
RUTH: No. I'm not that person. I don't want to be that person.  
DOCTOR: I'm afraid you don't have a choice. Do you have any idea what this means? The light. The glass.   
RUTH: Yeah, I do. I just saw it. But it's just a memory.   
DOCTOR: A memory of what?   
RUTH: The lighthouse where I grew up, my family home. Why am I seeing that now? I haven't thought about that for years. **

“A lighthouse. Well, that would definitely have a light.” Donna snorted.

**  
DOCTOR: It's something to do with this message. He had to send it to you before the Judoon got to him. What did he know? Are you sure it's your home?  
RUTH: Of course I'm sure. I know where I was brought up. My parents are buried there, on the land outside. I haven't thought about them for years, either. **

“Okay that’s weird right? Like not the normal ‘not thinking about it’ more as in ‘not actual real memories’, right?” Bill asked, waving her hands around to try and get across her point.

“Honestly I think you watch too much movies but you’re right it is a bit weird.” Clara teased the other woman but agreed.

**  
DOCTOR: Do you know how to get there?  
RUTH: Course I do.   
DOCTOR: Then we're going, me and you, now. **

“And hopefully we will finally get some answers.” Rose announced.

“I wouldn’t get your hopes up.” Amy said.

**[Spaceship]**

**HARKNESS: Ship's security is fighting back. You gotta be kidding me. Anti-theft attack system? Oh. Well, now I'm offended. Look, guys, I'm sorry. I got get out of here. I got about a minute before the ship's nanogenes attack my body.**

Jack, Rose and the Doctor shared a glance at the word ‘nanogenes’. “A stolen ship, nanogenes, lots of danger. Sounds like the day we met you Jack. You really haven’t found a new way to make friends after all these years.” Rose laughed teasingly.

“Oh, I’ve learnt plenty and made many new friends since we met Rose.” Jack teased back suggestively.

“Jack!” The Doctor elbowed him in the side.

“Ow! Seriously Doc, it’s dangerous sitting next to you.” Jack complained, rubbing his side, despite his comments he made no move to change seats, he wanted to be near the Doctor when everything fell apart.

**  
RYAN: What's going to happen to us?  
HARKNESS: Oh. I'll pre-set the coordinates to get you back. Just tell her this. I'm going to see her again. Maybe not soon. When she needs me, I'll be there. In the meantime, tell her beware the lone Cyberman. You don't know what a Cyberman is yet, do you? **

Those that had met the Cybermen, which was most of the room winced in sync. The Doctor gave Bill, Clara, Rose and Mickey worried looks. They had been the most affected by the Cybermen and she was worried how they would react to seeing them on screen. She knew they would see them as they had been apart of the Master’s whole plan on Gallifrey and she wasn’t looking forward to seeing that whole mess again as it was.

**RYAN: No. What are they?  
HARKNESS: An empire of evil, in ruins right now. Brought down to nothing, finally. But that could all change if she doesn't listen to this message. To defeat them, the alliance sent this thing back through time, across space. Argh! Oh, they are coming for me. Always the nanogenes. Ah! I gotta go. I've set the scoop for return. It should take you back to where you were. Tell the Doctor, the lone Cyberman. Don't give it what it wants. At all costs. Tell her... (he vanishes) **

“Were you trying to be cryptic Jack?!” Martha exclaimed.

Jack grinned a bit sheepish. “Sorry, thought I’d have more time.” He turned to the fam. “You did tell her, right? Not that it matters much now because she just saw.”

The group shared a glance. The Doctor sighed before answering. “Yes, they did tell me but we didn’t really get much choice in the matter.” She saw Jack was about to say something but beat him to it. “It’s dealt with Jack I promise, and I’m sure it will be shown soon.” That seemed to appease him for now and they let the video play on.

**  
RYAN: We've lost him.  
YASMIN: Are we stuck here now?   
(The scoop effect flickers over them.)   
GRAHAM: I hope he's got this thing right.   
(They vanish.) **

“Did you make it back alright?” Rose asked the group.

The three shared a glance before Graham answered. “Yes thankfully, but by the time we found the Doc everything was over.”

**[Ruth's car]**

**(Driving down an unmade track.)  
DOCTOR: Tell me about your parents.   
RUTH: I wish I could tell you I adored them. But they chose to live in a disused lighthouse. That tells you how good they were with people.   
DOCTOR: Not like you, in the heart of the city, talking to people all day long.   
RUTH: I guess we all rebel against our parents. It's part of growing up, innit?   
DOCTOR: Never been a fan of growing up. **

Amy snorted. “That’s an understatement Raggedy Man.” She could distinctively remember the year of the cubes and several other instances of childishness on their adventures. The Doctor just grinned at her.

**  
RUTH: They loved it out here. Suited them.  
DOCTOR: Loved it so much they wanted to be buried here?   
RUTH: Yep.   
DOCTOR: You'd moved away by then.   
RUTH: Yeah.   
DOCTOR: But you still own the lighthouse?   
RUTH: Yeah, they left it to me. But I never wanted to come back here to live, though.   
DOCTOR: When did you move to Gloucester?   
RUTH: Ooo, 1999. Mid-December. Are you testing me?   
DOCTOR: Yes. **

“At least you admit it.” Mickey said, shaking his head, she never really changed no matter what face she wore.

“Did you think she would slip and reveal something?” Yaz asked, she was as curious as the rest ff the room to find out what happened. She knew roughly but none of the details and with the Doctor that was often important.

“I don’t really know. I was hopeful for something.” The Doctor answered reluctantly. She didn’t really know what she’d expected, she’d just wanted answers but the answers she had gotten she really hadn’t liked.

**  
RUTH: I don't know why I'm even trusting you.  
DOCTOR: I've got one of those faces. I promise you, I'm your best hope of finding out who you are and staying alive.   
(Ruth sees a hand texting Follow.)   
DOCTOR: Ruth?   
(The full text message, the fight, the lighthouse.)   
DOCTOR: What are you seeing or hearing?   
RUTH: Nothing. We're nearly there. **

The Doctor watched the screen carefully, analysing everything. She knew what was to come but she still wasn’t quite sure about it all. She just wanted answers.

**[Lighthouse]**

**RUTH: That smell. Home. Forgotten what it feels like to come back here. Like nothing can touch me.  
DOCTOR: Mind if I take a look around?   
RUTH: Sure. I'll get a fire going.   
(The Doctor goes up the spiral staircase and out onto the walkway outside the light. She scans the lone gravestone near the parked car, then goes down and outside to look at it.) **

“Okay so you found a grave, why’s that so important? Shouldn’t you be looking for the light?” Rory asked the Doctor.

The Doctor was too focussed on the screen to answer but River seemed to have noticed what she had and answered instead. “It’s blank. And Ruth mentioned both her parents being buried there but there is only one blank grave.” Even though she had noticed it she still couldn’t figure out what it actually meant.

“So, what’s been buried then?” Rose asked apprehensive, the tension in the room was increasing and no one had any answers for all the questions they had.

**  
DOCTOR: Why have a blank gravestone? (scans) Because it's not a grave.  
(Back inside, Ruth is looking at the fire alarm that says - Break glass. Outside, the Doctor has got a spade and started digging.)   
VOICES: Break the glass and follow the light. Break the glass and follow the light. Break the glass and follow the light. Break the glass and follow the light. Break the glass and... **

Martha gasped, having finally connected everything. “Doctor!” The Doctor just grimaced, nodding her head in confirmation. Martha was the only one that had been around when she was using her Chameleon circuit and she’d seen the Master use it so she wasn’t surprised that Martha had figured it out while the others hadn’t. But even then she may have figured out what Ruth was but she couldn’t have figured out who exactly Ruth was – only the Master had any chance of that. The rest of the room watched on confused but worried. Jack was glancing between Martha and the Doctor trying to piece everything together but feeling like he was missing an important piece of the puzzle.

River looked like she had an idea of what was going on and she didn’t like it. She’d never seen a chameleon circuit but the light was regeneration energy and that was distinctively familiar. The Master was unreadable, eyes dark and crazed, he had a very good guess of what was happening and he didn’t know what the messy swirl of emotions threatening to break free from his chest meant.

**  
(Ruth breaks the glass with her elbow and golden energy rushes out from it and into her. The Doctor is uncovering something. Ruth gets a honking big gun from a wicker basket, and a change of clothing - a smart suit.)**

“So, she has her memories back and she’s got a gun but who and what is she?” Amy asked the room, starting to get really frustrated with the lack of answers like most of the room.

**[Outside the lighthouse]**

**(The Doctor brushes the soil from a sign that says - Police public call box.)**

“The Tardis! Why is the Tardis there? How is it there?!” Jack asked the Doctor, eyes alight with concern, especially at seeing the Doctor shrink further back into the sofa eyes locked on the screen. He wasn’t going to get any answers as much as he wanted to shake her until she answered everything he knew that wouldn’t work. The only way to find any answers would be to watch the video.

**  
RUTH: You're probably a bit confused right now. I broke the glass. It's all come back to me.  
DOCTOR: This. What is this?   
RUTH: That's my ship.   
DOCTOR: What?   
RUTH: Let me take it from the top. Hello, I'm the Doctor. I'm a traveller in Space and Time, and that thing buried down there is called a Tardis. Time And Relative Dimension In Space. You're going to love this.   
(Ruth takes the Doctor's hand and they disappear.) **

“Doctor, what’s going on? What does she mean? How can she be you?” Rose asked, voicing the thoughts of many of the room, she was edging into hysteria as her eyes were glued to the Doctor.

The Master was watching the screen, analysing Ruth, with an unreadable expression. “You met one.” It was a statement not a question. His eyes were wild as he stared the Doctor down, meeting her eyes for the first time since the start of the video.

She nodded sharply at him, “Yes.” She took a deep breath before scanning the room, taking in all the confused and worried looks she was getting from her companions, even the fam who had already vaguely known. She finished by meeting Rose’s eyes. “It’s complicated Rose, you’ll find out soon, I think. I promise I’ll explain a bit more, just watch for the moment please.” She ignored how her voice broke a bit on the last word, things were only going to get worse.

“Doctor!” River tried to complain, desperately wanting answers. The Doctor just turned to her, eyes wide and pleading, they had a staring contest for a few minutes, neither wanting to back down before River reluctantly conceded “Fine but if the video doesn’t explain, you will.”

**[Ruth's Tardis]**

**(Roundels on the wall! Love the design of this one, far more my taste.)  
RUTH: Come on, old girl. Too sleepy. Power up. Need you right now.   
DOCTOR: Hi. Struggling with this. Can you just...?   
RUTH: No, I can't. Not right now. No time. Just stand there and don't ask questions. Sorry you got caught up in all this, but if Gat is half the operative she used to be, she's already figured out here we are. And we need to be ready, and we're not.   
DOCTOR: Stop. Who's Gat? And who are you, really? Truly. **

Amy suddenly let lose a loud laugh gaining several odd looks from the group. What could be so funny at the moment? “Sorry, it’s just the Doctor’s finally getting a taste of her own medicine. Isn’t this what we all went though when we first met her?” She tried to explain to the group and as the realisation set in other joined, her in laughing. The Doctor just smiled sadly, happy to see them smiling even at her expense but still angry and confused and worried and emotionally messed up by everything.

**  
RUTH: I told you, love. I'm the Doctor.**

“So, she’s one of your future faces? But what are you running from?” Clara tried to work out, things were making less sense with every passing moment.

“No, she’ not my future.” The Doctor answered reluctantly but refused to say anymore despite the room’s attempts.

**  
DOCTOR: You can't be.  
RUTH: Yeah? And why's that?   
DOCTOR: Because I'm the Doctor.   
RUTH: You have got to be kidding me. Really?   
DOCTOR: Yes, really.   
RUTH: Since when?   
DOCTOR: Since forever.   
RUTH: And how did I end up like... that? All rainbows and trousers that don't reach?   
DOCTOR: What? No. How did I end up like you?   
RUTH: You don't. You're in my future, not the other way round.   
DOCTOR: I've never been anything like you. Trust me, I'd remember. Especially that shirt.   
RUTH: So would I, if I'd ever been you, which I haven't.   
DOCTOR: What?   
RUTH: Huh?   
BOTH: That's not possible. Unless it is. But what would that mean? Doesn't make sense. Stop doing that! Oh. Same brain.   
DOCTOR: No, this doesn't make any sense. Either I should know you or you should know me.   
RUTH: Agreed.   
DOCTOR: So why don't we? **

“How can she not be your future? You know your past. I know your past faces.” River asked the Doctor, face scrunched up in worry and concentration. She was getting more tense as everything unfolded and the Doctor’s carefully crafted blank face wasn’t helping.

“Please just watch River, I… I just…. I can’t explain. Please.” The Doctor begged her wife, voice cracking as she struggled to get her words out. River just grabbed her hand and squeezed tightly as if to reassure both of them they were still there.

**  
RUTH: I dunno. Why don't you try asking that cute little gizmo of yours?  
(The Doctor takes out her sonic screwdriver.)   
RUTH: Yeah, that's the one.   
DOCTOR: I did. I used it on you, but it couldn't decrypt the bio-shield. If you've been restored... (scans Ruth then herself) Same person.   
RUTH: Oh, no.   
DOCTOR: But you don't recognise a sonic screwdriver. **

“So, she’s from before you had your sonic. But how can you not remember her?” Clara questioned, frustration and worry lacing her voice. The Doctor just shook her head, gesturing vaguely to the screen, she wasn’t going to answer, she couldn’t answer. She could feel the weight of the Mastre’s eyes boring into her and was refusing to meet them, she wasn’t sure she wanted to know what he was thinking.

**  
RUTH: Smart enough not to need one.  
DOCTOR: Oh yeah, nothing screams smart like a laser rifle.   
RUTH: I stored that before hiding, cos I knew Gat would come one day, and now she has.   
DOCTOR: Who is this Gat?   
RUTH: I worked for her once.   
DOCTOR: You've got a job?   
RUTH: Oh, sort of. Not one you apply for, and not one you can ever leave. Believe me, I tried.   
DOCTOR: You've been hiding on Earth. You used the Chameleon Arch to hide your identity, to hide your mind, even from yourself. That's why the sonic didn't pick it up. And Lee was your protector. **

Martha glared at the screen at the mention of a Chameleon Arch, she really hated that thing.

“What’s a Chameleon Arch?” Bill asked, curious as ever.

“It’s a way a time lord can hide, they essentially become another species, in this case human, and gain fake memories, it’s not to be used lightly.” The Doctor tried to explain, eyes dark.

“Have you ever used it? I mean you, like the you we know.” Bill asked again.

Martha answered for her. “Yes, she did. I was with her at the time and she had to hide.” She hesitated for a second. “It’s an absolutely last resort. She screamed for hours.” That gained her and the Doctor some horrified looks. The Doctor had been through a lot over the years and anything that could make her scream was very bad. Bill looked guilty for asking, but the Doctor offered her a small smile before focussing back on the screen.

**  
RUTH: Well done. You're only five minutes behind someone who just had their memory fully restored. Five points.  
DOCTOR: Don't do points. I do points. Points are _my_ thing. **

“She can keep the points.” Ryan grumbled, Yaz and Graham nodded beside him.

**  
(Shaking.)  
DOCTOR: Oh.   
(Red energy has grabbed the corners of the buried Tardis.)   
DOCTOR: What's happening?   
RUTH: She's here. The Judoon have got us in a tractor beam, dragging us onboard their ship. Now listen to me, Doctor. Let me do the talking. Do not get involved. Because, if you really are me, and Gat figures that, she'll kill us both. **

“Delightful. You can be killed twice at one time.” Jack sighed. “But knowing the Doctor she’s not going to keep quiet long.”

**[Judoon spaceship]**

**(Ruth comes out of the Tardis, rifle ready, and the Doctor follows.)  
GAT: Here we are, then. End of the road. I thought I'd be angry when I saw you. Turns out I'm just sorry.   
RUTH: Not as sorry as I'm about to be.   
(Judoon approach from behind Ruth.)   
DOCTOR: Ruth, put it down.   
GAT: Yes, Ruth. Do as your little friend says. You are surrounded, after all.   
(Ruth hands the laser rifle to Gat.) **

“She can’t be you. You hate guns.” Amy tried to argue but the Doctor refused to look away from the screen let alone answer. The companions shared a worried look.

**  
RUTH: Don't point that thing at me, Gat.  
GAT: This was mine, you stole it.   
RUTH: Mmm, confiscated it. No, really, don't point it at me.   
GAT: Perfect for your execution.   
RUTH: I really wouldn't do that, Gat.   
GAT: Enough now. Let's get off this rust bucket and finish this on my ship.   
DOCTOR: When you say, finish this...   
RUTH: Shut up.   
GAT: Take her advice, little woman.   
DOCTOR: Little? Biting my tongue. **

“That won’t last long.” River said, squeezing her wife’s hand tightly.

**  
JUDOON: Contract states Judoon must deliver fugitive to contractee at Division.  
GAT: I'm here on behalf of the contractee.   
DOCTOR: Hang on, I thought _you'd_ hired the Judoon.   
GAT: Who are you?   
DOCTOR: I'm...   
JUDOON: Imperial Regulator.   
DOCTOR: Sort of. Bit of a fib. Sorry. Actually, I'm...   
RUTH: She's nobody.   
DOCTOR: Fine. I'm nobody. Absolutely nobody. See, I know why you want her. You've got a contract, fair enough. But you? You want her dead because she left her job?   
RUTH: Shut up. **

“Doctor, I really think you should listen to Ruth and not get involved for once.” Clara bit her lip, nervous. Several others nodded along, everything was confusing and it was worrying them. This seemed very dangerous even for the Doctor.

**  
GAT: Is that what she told you? This goes way higher than me.  
DOCTOR: So, who would that be? Who are you all ultimately working for? I'd really like to know. Really.   
JUDOON: Information confidential.   
RUTH: I told you to keep quiet.   
DOCTOR: And look where that's gotten us. Lots of guns in lots of faces.   
RUTH: And have you got a better idea?   
DOCTOR: I do, actually. My favourite. The curveball and the Judoon. You wanted to find the Doctor?   
RUTH: Don't you dare.   
DOCTOR: Well, here I am.   
RUTH: Will you be quiet? **

“She’s not capable of being quiet even if it will save her life.” The Master said, expression dark as he watched the screen. A few of the companions threw him nervous looks which he ignored.

**  
DOCTOR: Go on, scan me.  
(A Judoon scans her.)   
JUDOON 2: Fugitive match positive. (then Ruth) Fugitive match positive.   
RUTH: Is there even a word for how dumb you are?   
DOCTOR: Doctor? **

“Self-burn.” Bill declared, fidgeting. The tension in the room could be cut with a knife.

**  
JUDOON: Subsection 951 triggered. Two fugitives, two payments.  
GAT: There won't be two payments, because two of the same Time Lord can't occupy the same space at the same time. It's an abomination. It'll destroy the time streams before you get anywhere near Gallifrey.   
DOCTOR: What did you say?   
(The Doctor scans Gat.)   
DOCTOR: Gallifreyan. You're from home.   
GAT: I serve for the glory of Gallifrey. **

The companions all shared a glance. Some things were starting to make sense – at least why they were watching this video.

“If she’s from Gallifrey she must be from the past then.” Martha reasoned glancing nervously between the screen and the Doctor. Clara scowled at the mention of Gallifrey, even from beyond the grave it seemed they were haunting the Doctor.

**  
DOCTOR: Then both of you can only be my past. But that's impossible, because I know my own past. I lived through it. All of it.  
RUTH: You're wrong.   
DOCTOR: I'm not wrong. I've seen Gallifrey destroyed. Twice. First by a war, second by a lunatic who I'm still trying to find. In my time, Gallifrey doesn't exist. It's gone. Forever. And if you don't know that, you're in my past. So, you are only serving at the glory of ash and bone. **

“You say the nicest things, dearest.” The Master drawled, trying to get a reaction, any reaction, from the Doctor. He felt triumphant when she shot him a sharp glare before seemingly remembering she was supposed to be ignoring him and turning back to the screen.

In some convolute, horrible way things made more sense now then they had then. Ruth was one of the lives she didn’t remember but it left so many other questions that just frustrated her more. Who was Gat? Who was Lee? How long ago was Ruth? Was this the first time she’d escaped? Who had she worked for? Was it the mysterious Division that she’d seen in the matrix?

**  
GAT: This is a trick.  
DOCTOR: Check my mind, one Time Lord to another. See what I saw.   
GAT: Keep an eye on her.   
DOTOR: Contact.   
(Image of the destroyed Citadel.)   
RUTH: What did you see? What did she show you?   
GAT: I don't know what trickery this is.   
RUTH: Put the gun down, Gat.   
GAT: But it ends here. **

“Sweetie, did you really think that would make the situation better in anyway?” River asked the Doctor who glanced at her and shrugged one-heartedly. She hadn’t really been thinking at the time, too confused with everything going on.

**  
RUTH: Don't do this.  
(Gat fires the rifle. It backfires, destroying her.)   
DOCTOR: Oh! You knew that would happen. You sabotaged the gun.   
RUTH: I told her not to do it. I begged her not to fire.   
DOCTOR: But you knew she would!   
RUTH: Don't take the moral high ground with me. **

The Doctor glared at the screen, seeing it again reminded her of the fact she was responsible in some way for both Gat and Lee’s deaths, even if she couldn’t remember who she had been when she had been there. Yet more deaths on her conscious. She really hated guns and the way the whole room had flinched at Gat’s death – a small voice whispered in the back of her head, you’re responsible for that.

**  
JUDOON: Crime has been witnessed.  
(Ruth picks up the rifle.)   
RUTH: No crime. An accident. And, besides, a Judoonese Talwak Freighter like this, moving at 80 million clicks an hour, entered interstellar space 12 seconds ago. No one has jurisdiction in interstellar space. So, no laws, and no crime. Isn't that right, Doctor?   
DOCTOR: Yes.   
RUTH: Recalibrated. Who wants some? **

“You can’t be serious. There’s no way you can fight your way out of there and you hate guns!” Rose threw her hands in the air; this whole video was seriously messing with them all.

**  
DOCTOR: The Doctor never uses weapons.  
RUTH: I know. Shut up. We're leaving now. If you know what's good for you, do not come for me again. Ever. Consider your contract cancelled.   
JUDOON: Judoon contracts will always be fulfilled. **

Yaz, Graham and Ryan shared a glance before turning to the Doctor who had flinched. “That’s why you were -.” Yaz couldn’t finish her question but the Doctor seemed to figure out what she wanted to say and nodded, offering her an apologetic frown. Her loud mouth was what had got her captured by the Judoon and separated from her fam.

**[Ruth's Tardis]**

**RUTH: Homing in near your Tardis signal. Can't get too close. Imagine the temporal feedback loop. I'll drop you at the docks near my flat. How's that?  
DOCTOR: You can't be me. I know what I've done, I know my own life.   
RUTH: One of us has to be wrong.   
(The Tardis materialises.)   
RUTH: I'd quite like it if you got off my ship now. **

“Unfortunately, all the evidence points to you being the one who is wrong Doctor.” Jack said quietly, the words landed heavily on her chest, he was right and it hurt so much.

**[Gloucester]**

**(Walking along the Quay (?) deep in thought.)  
YASMIN: There she is. Doctor! Found you.   
RYAN: Hey, what happened? Where you been? What happened to Ruth? The Judoon things are gone.   
YASMIN: You're never going to guess what happened to us.   
RYAN: Captain Jack Harkness said hello.   
DOCTOR: What? **

Jack winced, as much as he had wanted to see the Doctor again, he apparently had terrible timing. The Doctor nudged him gently a small sile on her face, she seemed to know what he had been thinking. “It’s okay Jack, thanks for the warning and keeping those three mostly safe.” He nodded reluctantly.

**[Tardis]]**

**GRAHAM: Beware the lone Cyberman. Do not let it have what it wants, at all costs.  
DOCTOR: That's all he said?   
RYAN: Yeah, he got interrupted.   
YASMIN: Who is he, anyway?   
DOCTOR: An old friend. **

“Seriously Doctor? Don’t I deserve a better introduction?” Jack attempted to tease the Doctor but it fell flat as she just muttered a “Yes, you do.” In response which made him feel even worse. Whatever this secret was that the Tardis wanted to show them, he hated. He hated the way it was eating at the Doctor and ruining what should have been a happy thing – spending time with her friends and family.

**  
RYAN: I liked him. Kind of cheesy.  
YASMIN: But good cheesy. **

“He’s always been like that.” Mickey rolled his eyes, shooting the newest companions and Jack a grin. It seemed to break the tension slightly and he received relived grins back.

**  
DOCTOR: That's Jack. He didn't say any more about the Cybermen?  
GRAHAM: Er, he said that they were a fallen empire and they should stay that way.   
YASMIN: What are they, these Cybermen?   
DOCTOR: They're one of the most dangerous species I've ever encountered, up there with the Daleks.   
RYAN: Oh, I can't wait to meet then, then. **

“I definitely could have waited. Would have preferred to never have met them actually.” Ryan joked but there was a serious undertone, it had been a very close thing with the Cybermen.

“Yeah, definitely nor my favourite alien.” Bill grimaced, hand going to her chest as if feeling for the hole in her chest or the fake heart. Others in the room grimaced as well, the Cybermen were very dangerous and hurt most of them in some way.

**  
GRAHAM: And they're in our future?  
DOCTOR: They're always somewhere, waiting.   
YASMIN: You haven't told us about Lee and Ruth and the Judoon. Who was the fugitive?   
DOCTOR: It was Ruth. But Ruth was me.   
GRAHAM: What?   
RYAN: What are you talking about?   
YASMIN: How's that possible?   
DOCTOR: She said she was my past, but I know my past, and she's never been me.   
GRAHAM: I'm sure there's a simple explanation. **

“I really wish that was true Graham.” The Doctor chuckled darkly, gaining concerned looks from the rets of the room but she refused to look any of them in the eye.

**  
DOCTOR: Time is swirling around me. The Master, Captain Jack Harkness, Ruth. Something's coming for me. I can feel it.  
RYAN: Let it come. You've got us.   
DOCTOR: Ryan, I've lived for thousands of years. So long I've lost count. I've had so many faces. How long have you been here? You don't know me. Not even a little bit. **

The Doctor took a shuddering deep breath before looking up towards her current companions. “I’m sorry Ryan. I shouldn’t have spoken like that to you.” She trailed off before she could make excuses, he didn’t need to hear those, he already knew most of them. What she said may have been true but she didn’t have to throw it in his face or declare it like that.

Ryan stared at her for a minute before nodding his acceptance of her apology. He understood a bit more why she’d said that now and while he probably knew more than most of the other companions about why they were here, he still knew very little and honestly everything was worrying him.

**  
YASMIN: Don't talk to him like that.  
RYAN: Yeah, I'm not having that. We do know who you are. You're the woman that brought us together, the woman that saved us and loads of other people. You're the Doctor. Whoever you were in the past or are in the future, we know who you are right now. Right?   
YASMIN: Right.   
GRAHAM: The best person we know.   
YASMIN: And whatever is coming for you, we'll be here, cos we're your mates.   
GRAHAM: Well, not just mates. Family.   
RYAN + YASMIN: Yeah.   
GRAHAM: So, whether you want to go looking for whatever trouble's coming, or whether you want to wait here and let it come to you, we'll be right here by your side, like it or not, Doctor. **

“Thank you, all of you. Seriously, thank you.” The Doctor took a deep breath, eyes bright, shining with unshed tears. “You’re my family too.” She glanced around the room. “All of you are. No matter what happens or has happened” River squeezed her hand in comfort, pulling her closer so she leaned against River’s shoulder. The rest of her companions, of her family, gave her reassuring smiles. But none of them were doing very well at hiding their worry.

**  
(An alarm sounds.)  
RYAN: What's that?   
DOCTOR: I know what you're doing. Siding with them, distracting me. You're doing this deliberately. Whoa. Multiple alerts across three continents here on Earth. Can't be connected. Unless they are. Quick look?   
YASMIN: Quick look.   
DOCTOR: Let's go.**

“I guess that’s finished for now.” The Doctor sighed; she took another quick look round the room. “Let’s have a break, we’ve been watching for a while now.” She saw several people eager to protest, desperate to get more answers but she beat them to punch. “You’ll get more answers soon I promise, but we all need a break and to stretch our legs. Come on.” She pushed herself to her feet and out of River’s clutches, determined to have a break from everything.

That seemed to be enough for the others and they slowly dispersed, getting to their feet, stretching and moving through to the kitchen and corridor. The Doctor watched them go, trying desperately to decide if she could get away with hiding for a while or if she was mentally prepared for some more emotionally charged conversations that she knew she would have to have.

Soon she was left alone in the main room with Jack and River who were now standing on either side of her, like bookends or bodyguards she thought with a mental snort. Even the Master had slunk away, hopefully away from the rest of the group – she made a mental note to keep an eye out for him in case of trouble.

The Doctor made the mistake of looking up at the pair on either side of her. River was staring her down, expression stern. “Explain.” When she didn’t start speaking immediately, River continued. “Please, Doctor. We’re worried about you. We just want to help, we love you.”

That only made her feel more guilty, especially knowing she couldn’t even explain fully. “I can’t River, I’m sorry. It’s part of what the Tardis wants to show us I think and you’ll need to see it with the others. Please just trust me, you’ll find out soon enough.” The Doctor pleaded with her wife. When River’s expression wavered, she knew she’d won and it tore at her hearts.

Jack had watched the pair carefully. “Come on, let’s get something to eat. I think we’ll probably need the break.” With that he marched out of the room with a final glance at the wives. River watched him leave, before turning back to the Doctor, eyes sad. “I trust you. I don’t like any of this, but I trust you.”

The Doctor watched her leave, leaving her alone in the movie room. She took a deep breath before following, she needed to have some serious conversations.


	8. Ascension of the Cybermen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!
> 
> Thank you again for all your support, I love you all.  
> Here's the next chapter! Only one more before we get a bit more random and I start taking requests.  
> As usual please let me know what you think - I love reading your comments.  
> Thanks again for reading and hope you enjoy!
> 
> Robyn

The Doctor wandered slowly towards the kitchen, feet dragging as she tried to decide who she needed to talk to first. She'd managed to clear the air with Martha, Mickey and Jack last break, and she didn't know if she could answer any questions her current companions had so that ruled them out. As much as she wanted to have a proper talk with her wife (and hug her wife, and kiss her wife and just hold her so that she couldn't leave her again) she knew she wouldn't be able to have a proper conversation that wouldn't end in an argument about the whole situation and she didn't think she was in the right emotional state to deal with that (she didn't think she was in the right emotional state to deal with anything honestly, but when was she ever).

That left Bill, Clara, Rose, Donna, and Amy and Rory. She knew she had to talk to them all at some point, they all deserved honest answers and discussion for so many different reasons but who did she need to talk to first? It was likely to be the last time she had a proper conversation before the secret came out and she needed to talk to someone who wouldn't keep asking questions she couldn't answer. As much as she was dragging the walk out, she knew she had already made her decision – there was someone who needed an apology arguably more than any of the others. She needed to talk to Donna.

She finally made her way into the kitchen where most of her family had gathered, pottering around and chatting away. Some were making tea and others eating food that must have been left in the cupboards by the Tardis. She was glad to see they were mixing amongst themselves; Clara, Bill and Yaz seemed to be having fun talking, Rory, Mickey and Nardole seemed to be comparing notes on keeping their sanity. She spotted Martha at a table having tea with Graham and Ryan. She was mildly afraid to see River and Jack in a corner scheming away and glancing at her every so often, and the Master had slunk away out of sight for now. Finally, she found Rose and Donna talking loudly about something or other at one of the tables.

Setting her sights on the pair she shuffled over, ignoring the glances everyone sent her as she made her way past them. The Doctor practically collapsed into an empty chair, startling Donna slightly who had been gesturing wildly with her hands to emphasise part of a story she was telling. Donna trailed off as both Rose and her looked at the Doctor, waiting for her to say something. The Doctor opened her mouth to try and get some words out but nothing came out. She closed her mouth, swallowed and tried again – slightly more successful the second time.

"Rose, I… Can I… Can I talk to Donna for a moment?" The Doctor asked, she felt a bit guilty – this was the second time she'd interrupted a conversation Rose had been having to talk to someone else. Rose glanced between the pair as if looking for something, her face softened as she seemed to find what she'd been looking for.

Rose nodded. "Sure, but don't think you're getting out of talking to me later Misses." The Doctor smiled; eyes earnest as she nodded her agreement. Rose offered a grin and wink to Donna before moving over to join Yaz, Bill and Clara. And with that she was left alone with Donna, near the back of the room with some semblance of privacy.

She kept her eyes on the table, unsure how to start what was undoubtedly going to be an emotionally charged conversation. She was put out of her misery by Donna starting. "So, Spaceman we need to talk."

"You're right Donna. I just… I just don't know how to start."

"I'd hope you'd start with an explanation and an apology."

"I… I am so sorry Donna, I… memories are important and I took that away from you. I just… I just couldn't let you die." The Doctor glanced up to meet Donna's gaze, trying to show how much she meant what she said. Donna's eyes were hard but softening as she continued talking. "You're brilliant, the most important woman in the universe. Beings sing songs about you and I took that from you because I am selfish. I was selfish and I couldn't lose you."

"I can't say that I'm unhappy about being alive – I love the life I have, my husband, my family. I'm just angry that you ignored my decision. That you ignored what I wanted, you ignored my begging. My time with you was amazing, some of the best days of my life. The things I saw, the people I met and you took that from me." Donna glared at her hands, pausing to take a breath and calm herself down. The Doctor's hand twitched towards Donna's clenched fists on the table but simply hugged them closer to her. Shrinking in on herself as she nodded along with Donna's argument, gulping.

"I'm sorry, you didn't deserve it, any of it. It was my fault you were in that situation and I couldn't keep you safe. I couldn't tell your mother and grandfather that I had gotten you killed and I couldn't lose you. You were… You are one of my best friends in the universe." She smiled sadly at Donna, before dipping her eyes back to the table. "I understand it, the memory loss I mean. I lost my memories of Clara for a while and I recently found out I've lost a lot more memories than I even knew about." She let out a self-deprecating chuckle. "Memories are important and I took them from you but more importantly I went against your wishes. I cannot express how sorry I am for that but you have to understand I can't be sorry that I saved your life, but I am sorry for how I did it."

The silence lingered between the pair for several moments, neither saying anything. Then Donna let out a long, loud breath. "I understand that, I do. I'm still angry about my memories but I want to move forward. I forgive you Doctor and my time travelling with you was indescribably amazing. And Martian? You're my best friend too idiot." She smiled softly at the Doctor, it was the calmest she'd ever seen Donna and the Doctor chuckled, ignoring the warmth of a tear as it raced down her face. "Oh, you are an idiot, spaceman. Come here." Donna shuffled around the table and pulled the Doctor into her arms, squeezing her tightly in a hug. The pair laughed and cried as they held each other before Donna pulled back several minutes later.

"Honestly you really don't change." Donna shook her head in disbelief as the Doctor tried to subtly wipe away a few stray tears. "I do have to ask; will I keep my memories when we leave here?"

The Doctor scrunched her face up in thought for a moment. "I don't know but if you don't I swear I will find a way to give them back to you. I promise you that Donna." Donna smiled at her, before setting her shoulders and grabbing the Doctor by the arm to drag her back towards the rest of the group. Emotional conversation was done, Donna was back to being loud and brash and the Doctor wouldn't change her for the universe.

The Doctor followed in a sort of daze, accepting a cup of tea that was shoved into her hands by Graham and vaguely nodding along to any conversation she was dragged into until everyone started moving back towards the movie room. No one had really been in the mood to eat much, all too tense and nervously curious to find out what the Tardis wanted them to see. All too soon the break was over and it was time to face the music.

As everyone settled back in their seats, resuming their positions from before the break (meaning the Doctor was dragged back and trapped between Jack and River) she debated what they would be shown next – she knew there weren't many options but maybe she still had a bit of time? You can't blame her for being hopeful. That hope was quickly dashed when 'Ascension of the Cybermen' appeared on the screen. The Doctor took a deep breath and exchanged a glance with her current companions – there weren't many options for what that could mean.

"Right, there's been a bit of a time jump again." She explained to the room with paper-thin enthusiasm. "We went on a few more adventures which I guess aren't particularly relevant. I think we've skipped something important to the 'story' though." She glanced at the fam again, they nodded in agreement. "Easy to say we had to ignore Jack's warning and there was some trouble with Mary Shelley, Lord Byron and the rest of the group in 1816 and I think we may have helped inspire Frankenstein?" She took a deep breath and glanced at those she knew would be the most affected by what she had to say. "As the title says, there's going to be Cybermen, so I just wanted to give you a moment to prepare yourselves."

A few round the room looked a bit nervous at the mention of the Cybermen; Clara glowered at the screen and Bill shifted uncomfortably in her seat (she ignored the Master preening in the corner – she was spending a lot of her time ignoring him recently) but they both met her gaze when it hesitated on them. They were strong, all of her family were strong – they'd be okay, eventually. With no more comments, the video started to play.

**[Space]**

**(The voice of the Lone Cyberman over scenes of a starship graveyard.)  
ASHAD [OC]: The Cybermen were defeated. The victors of a billion battles, broken. An empire of might and terror, fallen. Their weaknesses exploited. Their armies outfought. Their conquests surrendered. Every empire has its time, and every empire falls. But that which is dead can live again... in the hands of a believer.  
(The head of a Cyberman drifts towards us. Cue opening titles coming from within its eye socket.)**

"Who's that?" Amy asked, curious more than anything.

The Doctor sighed, giving Jack an apologetic look. "The Lone Cyberman."

Mickey shook his head. "Why can't they just stay dead?" He muttered mostly to himself but others sighed. Nodding in understanding. To say that none of them were exactly fond of the Cybermen would be the least.

**[Ireland]**

**(A man bicycles along a track, then suddenly stops and dismounts. There is a baby in a basket in his way. He takes it home to his wife.)**

Both the Doctor and Master startle in their seats, turning to look at each other for a moment, neither able to understand what the other was thinking before the Doctor glared and glanced desperately away. The Master's eyes lingered on her. Jack and River had watched the exchange concerned; they both had the same train of thought – the Master was key to this secret and this seemingly completely unrelated story of Ireland was suspicious, therefore Ireland was very relevant to whatever secret had brought them here.

"That's a bit of whiplash. Going from space and the Cybermen to Ireland, I mean. What's going on there?" Bill asked clearly confused, the rest of the companions shifted, equally confused. Especially the fam who had been around for the actual trouble – they knew nothing about whatever was going on in Ireland.

**[Farmhouse]**

**(Naturally, he informs the Garda.)  
SERGEANT: And you say you just found it in the lane?  
PATRICK: I did.  
SERGEANT: Like that?  
PATRICK: Like that.  
SERGEANT: No note?  
(Shaken heads.)  
MEG: We'll look after him. Until you find the parents.  
PATRICK: That's right.**

"Okay so we have an abandoned baby in Ireland and an army of Cybermen in space. They don't really mesh well." Martha mused; eyes scrunched up as if trying to connect puzzle pieces that don't match.

"Maybe the baby is the Lone Cyberman and we're seeing his past?" Bill offered an idea, only half joking.

That drew a slight laugh out of the Doctor, although it had a slight undercurrent of hysteria. "Sorry Bill, you need another theory."

The room turned to her, even the fam as they didn't know anything about Ireland, eager for answers. "You know who the baby is then?" Yaz asked the question the whole room was thinking.

The Master looked at her, curious to know what she would say, he raised an eyebrow at her. She shot a quick glare at him before turning to answer Yaz. "Yes, kind off. It's complicated. Honestly its best to just watch, answers are coming." She exhaled sharply, answers were coming alright, no matter how much she wished they weren't.

**(Time passes. The red-headed boy has a birthday. A letter arrives.)  
MEG: Well?  
PATRICK: It's official. He's ours.  
MEG: Oh! Oh, our beautiful baby boy. Aren't you, Brendan?  
(Brendan is in his nice new school uniform. Riding on his father's shoulders.)  
PATRICK: Woohoo! There you go. Let's go. Let's go.  
MEG: Ready for your first day?  
BRENDAN: Yeah.  
(Helping Dad rake the hay.)  
PATRICK: In you go. The muscles of you! Good lad. That's a good lad.  
MEG: Oh!  
(Getting checked out by the District Nurse.)  
BRENDAN: (open wide) Aaah.  
(In bed with a temperature.)  
MEG: If it gets worse, I'll call the doctor.**

"So, we're getting quick flashes of this kid's life, he must be relevant." Rose announced decidedly, they were all getting very frustrated with the lack of answers and this mix of stories was worrying them. The rest of the room agreed with her but couldn't think of why the kid was relevant.

**[Planet surface]**

**(A ringed planet glows faint but large in the sky.)  
DOCTOR: Half a mile out. The exact coordinates Shelley gave us are just down there.  
GRAHAM: You want us to lug all this stuff down there?**

"You still aren't capable of landing where you need to." Amy grinned, shaking her head fondly at the Doctor. The Doctor pouted in response drawing laughs from most of the room.

**(To what looks like a village complete with church.)  
YASMIN: What's wrong, Graham? Can't take the commando lifestyle?  
RYAN: Hey! No commando jokes, please. I don't need that image in me head.**

That drew some chuckles, glad to see the group still well, despite the trouble the room knew they were likely to get into soon. Ryan nodded his head in agreement with himself on screen. Yaz just grinned and nudged him, while Graham shook his head at their anticks.

**YASMIN: Any ideas what we're walking into?  
DOCTOR: This planet, this time period - we're in the very far future, immediate aftermath of the CyberWars. Cybermen have hunted down and wiped out the majority of the human race. Sorry. It was never a good time to break that news to you. If it's any consolation, it almost wiped out the Cybermen, too.**

"Sorry to tell you but that's not much consolation, Spaceman." Donna drawled, rolling her eyes at the Doctor. The Doctor just grinned, shrugging a bit sheepish.

"It's far in the future, well after you lot. Humanity ultimately survives I promise." The Doctor continued trying to reassure the room, they just looked at her more incredulous.

"You're an idiot." Clara shook her head.

"Everyone knows that Clara." The Doctor grinned.

**GRAHAM: Yeah, but almost isn't good enough, is it?  
(Scans with the sonic screwdriver.)  
DOCTOR: No. I'm getting a handful of human life signs down there.  
RYAN: When you say a handful, how much are we talking?  
DOCTOR: Seven.  
RYAN: Seven humans left?  
DOCTOR: If I had to guess, I'd say that's the last remaining human settlement this side of the universe right now.**

The companions watched the screen worriedly. During their travels with the Doctor, they'd found a lot of trouble but it was never nice to be told your species was near extinction.

"Seven?!" Martha asked, looking at the Doctor like she hoped she would say she'd been lying.

"Yes, this side of the universe. There are others elsewhere. Probably." The Doctor tried to reassure the group, but their faces told her they weren't very reassured.

**[Settlement]**

**FEEKAT: How are the repairs?  
RAVIO: Piece of cake. Gravraft's completely fixed, completely fine, we're good to go.  
FEEKAT: Really?  
RAVIO: No. But you always look at me with those puppy dog eyes and say, please tell me it's good news.  
FEEKAT: How long will it take?  
RAVIO: A day, maybe more. I promise I'm doing everything I can.**

Rory sighed. "I'm going to go out on a limb here and say they don't have a few days."

Nardole nodded. "Seeing as the Doctor's here I doubt they have a few hours."

**FEEKAT: I know you are, but those last signal bursts indicated that we don't...  
(Echoing booms as two spaceships fly overhead. A young man runs over, possibly Feekat's son.)**

"Turns out they don't even have a few minutes." Mickey shook his head. The danger was starting.

**RAVIO: It's too soon.  
ETHAN: You said there weren't any more. You said they wouldn't find us.  
RAVIO: They always find us.  
FEEKAT: I said I ** _**hoped** _ **there weren't any left.  
ETHAN: You said it was too good to be true.  
RAVIO: Yeah, well, sometimes I just want to be wrong.  
DOCTOR: Question. Would you like some help?  
(Ravio points a weapon at them.)**

"Honestly Sweetie. What else were you expecting? You need to stop sneaking up on people." River reached out to grab the Doctor's hand, squeezing it in comfort, even as her tone showed her exasperation. The Doctor grinned but shrugged unrepentant, they all knew she wouldn't stop; she absolutely found some enjoyment out of it.

**DOCTOR: You don't need to use that against us.  
FEEKAT: Who are you? Where'd you come from?  
DOCTOR: Doctor, Graham, Ryan and Yaz. Don't worry about where we're from, concentrate on how we can help.**

"Yeah, I don't think they have time for that explanation." Bill said.

"That's if they would even believe it." Rose agreed, smiling at the other girl.

**(Ravio lowers her weapon.)  
DOCTOR: All right. Set this all up like I showed you.  
(She scans the area.)  
DOCTOR: Two cyber shuttles, just landing. Who's in charge?  
FEEKAT: I... I guess I am, as much as anyone is.  
DOCTOR: Fought Cybermen before?  
FEEKAT: No. We've run from them.  
DOCTOR: Escape craft?  
RAVIO: Damaged in planetfall. I've been trying to fix it, but we've got no spare parts. I've botch-built a couple...  
DOCTOR: Don't need your life story. Get everybody into the buildings and tell them, do not run. Please, do as I say. You can trust us.**

"Seriously Doctor?" Jack shook his head. "You just showed up and you're already ordering poor confused humans around. They have no reason to trust you."

"Don't exactly have much time to actually explain who we are, besides they're desperate and they need the help." The Doctor said, small frown on her face as she focused on the screen.

**(Graham has set up his gizmo, plugging in leads and turning on the power, making the array turn round.)  
GRAHAM: Bish, bash, bosh.  
ETHAN: What's that?  
GRAHAM: This, cockle, is a neural inhibitor system.**

"A what?" Bill asked, confusion obvious on her, and most of the companion's, faces. River and Jack nodded along, seemingly having an idea what the machine was.

**ETHAN: A what?  
GRAHAM: Yeah, I didn't have a clue either. As far as I understand it, your basic Cyberman is part-human, part-machine. Now, they have suppressed all emotion and sensations of pain, which means, if we can un-suppress those and they realise what's happening to their bodies, it sends them a bit mad, which is one way of stopping them. And that is what this gizmo is supposed to be doing.**

Clara winced at the reminder of Danny, and the Doctor snapped her head round to her as she remembered what had happened in the graveyard. Clara took a deep breath and offered a small smile to reassure the Doctor she was okay. She hadn't forgotten Danny but it didn't hurt as much as it used too, her time with Me had helped. That whole day had been crazy and she'd gone over the edge in her grief – she'd betrayed the Doctor and he'd still helped her. She did shoot the Master a quick glare, he'd been responsible for most of that mess and clearly, he hadn't learnt since then.

**ETHAN: And will it definitely work?  
GRAHAM: Well, I hope so, son, cos we've come a long way. Now, do us a favour. Get yourself safe, there's a good lad.  
(Yasmin's doo-dah is a globe with spikes.)  
RAVIO: What is that thing?  
YASMIN: Particle projector. The Doctor's customised it to project particles of gold into the air. Cybermen are allergic to gold, right?**

"They are?" Rose asked, she'd never heard that before. The rest of the room had equally confused looks, that was new information to all of them.

**RAVIO: I did hear that once. I'm going to go and get the Gravraft going.  
(Ryan has been joined by another man.)  
YEDLARMI: Forcefield, yeah? Hmm. Yeah, pretty rudimentary.  
RYAN: Yeah, well, you got a better one?**

"All this tech is new, usually we're just running into trouble with little to no preparation." Clara mused, shooting the Doctor curious looks.

"We had the warning so I thought we'd try and be prepared for once." The Doctor tried to explain, before frowning slightly, it really hadn't gone to plan in anyway.

**YEDLARMI: We ain't got nothin'. Oi! Fuskle. Here. He's my little brother. He don't say much, not any more. It's a forcefield, mate. And people. It's got to be good news. Will you tell him what it does?  
RYAN: It's for any Cyberman that comes near.  
YEDLARMI: See? We're gonna be all right. Yedlarmi. (shake hands) And Fuskle. Well, give him your hand, then. If you're not going to speak, at least give him your hand.**

"He's looking after his brother at least." Mickey acknowledged, gaining a few nods in agreement. The room was worried about what would happen to these humans they were meeting, trouble was coming.

**(The Doctor does another scan.)  
FEEKAT: What are you doing?  
DOCTOR: Trying to see where they're coming from. But they're sending a jamming signal, trying to confuse us as to what they are and how many. What weapons have you got, Feekat?  
FEEKAT: Two guns. One's broken.  
DOCTOR: So basically nothing.**

"It's not like you'd use the guns anyway Doctor." Amy berated. Sometimes the Doctor could be a tad (very) insensitive.

**FEEKAT: We're not soldiers. I was a teacher. Ravio was a nurse. We've got a childminder, a driver, a builder. We're just ordinary humans, refugees, and we've all lost everything... and everyone. All to the Cybermen. And nobody cares.  
DOCTOR: I care. Me and my friends, we care. Please, get inside the building. We'll fight whatever's coming.  
(Boom.) DOCTOR: Activation time, fam! Get close. I don't know how many they are or which direction they're coming from.**

"So, you have seven scared humans, a broken ship and some tech that might not even work against the Cybermen. The situation doesn't look great." Martha clarified, looking resigned to the bad odds.

"Don't forget the Tardis is half a mile away so they can't escape that way." Mickey added.

"Oh great. Thanks for the reminder." Mickey squeezed his wife's hand in comfort as she looked more stressed about the trouble the people on screen were obviously in.

**BESCOT: Quick!  
(The gold projector powers up. There's a whoosh.)  
RYAN: Hey, do you hear that sound?  
(Fuskle is panicking and wants to run.)  
YEDLARMI: Stay. Seriously, mate. I know you're scared. We're all scared.  
(A bunch of flying Cyber-heads appear.)  
DOCTOR: Cyberdrones.  
(They target the Doctor's gizmos.)  
DOCTOR: Fam, get down! They're targeting the defences!  
(And very accurately, too. Yasmin's is the last to go, then they fly inside the church through a window.)**

"Well, that's just brilliant." Donna said, sarcasm soaking her voice. The little defences they had were completely destroyed already and the drones were firing down upon them.

**YEDLARMI: Fuskle!  
(Fuskle runs, Yedlarmi chases after him.)  
DOCTOR: No! Get down! I said, don't run!  
(Fuskle is heading for another building with the other survivors.)  
BESCOT: Come on, you can make it!  
DOCTOR: Ah! Fuskle, don't run! No!  
(Bescot runs too, and another woman.)  
DOCTOR: Get back here! You can't outrun them!  
(The runners all get killed as Yedlarmi is held back.)**

The room looked down, giving the group a moment of silence. The companions couldn't get it out of their head that that was almost half the group of surviving humans dead in one go. And the fact that one of the last humans had just watched his brother killed.

**YEDLARMI: Fuskle!  
FEEKAT:Stay in here.  
(The nine Cyberdrones fly off and the survivors come out.)  
DOCTOR: Please. Run. Get to your ship.  
FEEKAT: I am sick of running.  
YEDLARMI: I want to fight 'em.  
DOCTOR: It won't be a fight, it'll be a massacre. The drones are just the advance guard. I'll buy you some time. Go. Now!**

"And how exactly are you going to do that Doctor?" Jack asked accusingly, arms crossed and worry clear on his face. He could tell they were very close to the truth about this secret and he really wasn't liking how much trouble they were all in. The only reassurance was the fact they were all here in the room safe.

**FEEKAT: Come on. Let's go. You and Ravio get the Gravraft started. Ethan and I will grab the supplies.  
GRAHAM: The systems didn't stop 'em, Doc.  
DOCTOR: I know.  
YASMIN: They destroyed everything we brought with us.  
DOCTOR: I know.  
RYAN: We haven't got anything else to defend ourselves or them.  
DOCTOR: I know! Listen to me. Do not argue. Go with the humans. Help them. Get them out of here. You won't make it back to the Tardis alive. Make sure you're with them.**

The trio turned to stare the Doctor down, they hadn't liked the decisions then and they didn't like it now knowing the consequences. The rest of the room was also staring the Doctor down.

"Do you really expect them to just leave you behind? I don't think any of us would do it, we're your family." Rose asked the Doctor, an edge of desperation to her voice.

The Doctor shifted uncomfortable in her seat. "I put you in so much trouble and I need to keep you as safe as I can." She argued, determined to get her point across.

"We agreed to come, Doc. You made sure we knew how dangerous it would be before we left, we made our decision and you need to respect that." Graham announced decidedly, then offered a small smile. "Besides your our only ride home." The Doctor was still frowning but nodded at the trio, worry clear in her eyes as she turned back to the screen.

**RYAN: What about you?  
DOCTOR: I'll hold them off.  
GRAHAM: How are you going to do that?  
DOCTOR: This isn't a discussion.**

"So, you have no idea and you're just being recklessly stupid then." River glared, worried about her wife, frustrated with all the secrets and angry with the universe as a whole.

"River -." The Doctor tried to start, cautiously.

"No. Don't. You can't expect us to just leave you in danger while we run. We chose to come with you but you can't just order us around or make us abandon you in danger." River argued, frustration and nerve clear in her colder-than-normal tone.

"I put you in these dangerous situations, I'm responsible for you." The Doctor argued back. She took a deep breath to calm herself before continuing, her voice breaking slightly. "I can't lose you; I can't lose anyone else."

That seemed to take the wind out of her sails and River's expression visibly softened. "I know sweetie, but we don't want to lose you either." The Doctor swallowed at that but nodded her concession for the moment, she wasn't giving up on the argument she just didn't ant to continue it now.

**YASMIN: We're not just gonna leave you.  
DOCTOR: Yes, you are. You have to, all of you. No questions. Get out. I've been so reckless with you.  
YASMIN: What are you talking about?  
DOCTOR: You're human. If they capture you, they'll convert you. I'll find you. Get safe now!**

Bill flinched visibly on her beanbag, drawing looks from most of the room. The majority of companions looked at her confused for several seconds before remembering what she'd mentioned earlier about being converted into a Cyberman.

The trio of current companions shared a look, that whole interaction had a whole new layer of meaning now that they knew about Bill. Her loss was still too fresh in the Doctor's mind, no wonder she'd been so terrified about them getting hurt. At the time they'd been so taken a back by the Doctor's shift in attitude and angry with her decision that they hadn't noticed how terrified the alien was but it was all too clear watching it now; she was terrified about losing them.

"Doctor-." Yaz started, unsure what to actually say but knowing she had to say something but she was interrupted before she could decide.

"No." Bill had squared her shoulders and was glaring the Doctor down. "What happened to me wasn't your fault. No don't interrupt just listen for once." The Doctor who had opened her mouth to argue, closed it again and nodded slowly, watching the young girl carefully. "What happened to me was horrible but I am okay, I am safe and happy with Heather now. But you don't get to use what happened to me to be mean to your friends. You don't get to use what happened to me to scare them off, or use it as an excuse to throw yourself into danger alone. Yes, it should make you more careful and yes it should mean you give them a fair warning. But ultimately? Ultimately, it's their choice and you don't get to make it for them. Understand?" Bill maintained eye contact with the Doctor awaiting a response.

"Bill, I-."

"Understand?"

"Yes." The Doctor sighed, squeezing her eyes tightly shut for a moment before meeting Bill's eyes again. "I'm sorry. Are you going to be okay?"

"I'm okay you stupid old man, I promise." Bill offered a small smile and that was all the Doctor needed to know she'd be alright, nodding and offering her own small smile. Then she glanced up to her current trio of companions who'd been watching the conversation with conflicting emotions.

"I'm sorry you three, I just wanted you to be safe." The Doctor offered the group.

"We know but we're a family Doctor. We chose to be there and we want you to stay safe as well. It's a two-way street. But thank you for the apology." Yaz spoke for the group. The matter was settled for the moment and the video was allowed to continue.

**(Stomping approaching. The Lone Cyberman, Ashad, appears.)  
DOCTOR: Yeah, me again. Here to stop you for good this time. It's just you and me.  
(Two more Cybermen approach.)  
CYBERGUARD: Strategic defences destroyed. Life signs identified.  
DOCTOR: Or not.**

"It never is." Rory sighed; the rest of the room nodded in commiseration. None of them were liking the danger the group was all in.

Bill was focused on something else though. "He's not fully converted." She muttered shocked. The Doctor glanced at her, realising where her train of thought was going.

"I'm sorry Bill, I know what he looks like but he is fully converted, there's no hope for him." The Doctor tried to explain, she didn't know how to tell her the rest – that'd he'd chosen this, they'd just have to watch.

**CYBERGUARD: All humans will be deleted.  
DOCTOR: Rethink. Keep the others safe. Act as bait. See ya!  
(She runs.)**

"I'm not sure if I should be glad or not to see your plans haven't evolved since we saw you last." Amy debated; it drew some chuckles out of the group but the atmosphere was still tense.

**GRAHAM: Go, go, go!  
(Ashad spots them.)  
CYBERGUARD: Three targets acquired. Delete.  
(Ryan gets cut off from Graham and Yasmin.)  
RYAN: Keep going!**

The rest of the companions turned worriedly towards the trio as if checking they were actually there and safe. The current companions shared a glance, happy to see the others cared but nervous about what they were going to see on screen. Graham and Yaz nudged Ryan, who was stuck between the two, as if to remind themselves he was safe – they'd all been scared when they had ended up separated.

**(They run down a corridor.)  
CYBERGUARD: Surrender, humans.  
(And out to where the Gravraft is parked.)  
YASMIN: Get out of here! There are Cybermen behind us!  
RAVIO: We're not ready. I haven't got Feekat and Ethan.  
GRAHAM: Listen to Yaz and get inside.  
YASMIN: Graham, where's Ryan?  
(The two Cyberguards are shooting at them.)  
RAVIO: Get inside the Gravraft!  
GRAHAM: No, no, we've got to find our friends.  
(The Cyberdrones approach.)  
RAVIO: Get inside if you want to stay alive!  
GRAHAM: Ryan!  
RAVIO: Get inside!**

"Glad to see your worried Grandad." Ryan joked, nudging Graham.

"Course I am, Ryan. I'm just glad you found the Doctor again." Graham said, ignoring the joking tone of Ryan's initial comment. He'd been too worried at the time to really appreciate it.

**[Gravraft]**

**RAVIO: Go! Expedite takeoff now!  
BESCOT: What are you doing? We can't take this lot.  
YEDLARMI: Fuskle's dead because their stuff didn't work.**

"Hey! It's not their fault the tech didn't work. At least they tried something." Martha protested, arguing with the people on screen.

"Martha, love. They can't hear you." Mickey squeezed his wife's hand in comfort. Martha just shot him a look that made him raise his hands in mock surrender.

**BESCOT: Yedlarmi, I'm sorry.  
RAVIO: Their weapons are going to destroy the outer shell. We need to go now!  
BESCOT: Not without the others.  
YEDLARMI: The others are dead. We all know it's true. If they haven't got here by now, that thing must've got 'em.  
GRAHAM: Look, we've only come in here for shelter, and our friends are still out there.  
RAVIO: Sit down!  
GRAHAM: Our friends are still outside!  
YASMIN: Look, you need to let us out!  
RAVIO: It's too late.**

"Just great, you've been separated with no way of contacting each other and half of you are still in danger. Just brilliant." Donna announced shaking her head. That was just typical wasn't it?

**[Settlement]**

**(The Gravraft takes off under fire. The Doctor watches it wobble away. Ryan takes cover.)  
DOCTOR: Shh! What are you still doing here? I told you to get out.  
RYAN: We got separated. Hey, what's that?**

"At least the two of you are together." Clara said, trying to find the silver lining in the massive dark cloud of trouble they were in.

**DOCTOR: Final fallback option to get us out alive.  
(She sonicks what looks like a cylindrical hand grenade. Ashad is prowling a building.)  
ETHAN: What's it doing?  
FEEKAT: Shh!  
ASHAD: I know you're here. Surrender.  
FEEKAT: Hey. Stay here. Ethan, no!  
(Ethan comes out of hiding.)  
ETHAN: I'm here. It's just me. No one else. I surrender. You can take me.**

"Very brave." Jack shook his head, concern for the group causing his brow to crinkle. "Brave but stupid. He'll be able to tell he's lying." He glanced at the Doctor as if hoping to hear that he was wrong but the Doctor refused to meet his eyes, focussing on the screen.

**ASHAD: You show courage. But you're a liar.  
(Ashad shoots at Feekat's hiding place and he tumbles out.)**

The room looked down again, another person dead with someone else in danger. Things weren't looking great.

**ASHAD: So few of you now. Should I let you live? You could tell the tale, speak of their deaths, of my power, to every other species. Spread my message. Tell them, be afraid. All humanity have been erased. All life will fall, and the Cybermen will rise again.  
DOCTOR: Not if I have anything to do with it. Run!  
(She throws her grenade at Ashad's feet.)  
DOCTOR: Go!  
(Running.)**

The room let out a collective breath, glad to see the Doctor save Ethan. The group was still in some danger but they hadn't had to watch more people killed on screen and they were out of immediate danger for the second. Yaz and Graham were watching the screen eager to know what had happened when they hadn't been there – they'd shared stories but it was something else to see it.

**RYAN: Doctor, we've got to find Yaz and Graham.  
ETHAN: I saw them get on the Gravraft. They're gone.  
RYAN: What?  
DOCTOR: Concentrate, Ryan. We have to get out of here. We can't make it to the Tardis. No escape ship, a relentless Cyberman and very limited options. Well, one option. How fast are you feeling? Come on.**

"And as usual it's time to run." Amy grinned. "If there's one good thing about adventures across time and space with you Doctor, it's the fitness routine."

" _One_ good thing?! Not seeing time and space? The running. Typical." The Doctor complained, while the rest fo the companions laughed.

**[Planet surface]**

**RYAN: Are we going to steal their ship?  
DOCTOR: Yes, we are!**

"Ooh, I like that plan Doctor." Jack grinned, nudging the Doctor slightly trying to get a response.

She rolled her eyes but grinned back, only a little bit shakily. "I figured I'd take a leaf out of your book for once."

River laughed. "Please, I think you've been stealing ships since before any of us were born."

The Doctor made a face of mock offense. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

River and Jack shared a glance, mischief clear on their faces before answering in sync. "The Tardis."

The Doctor grinned a bit more sheepishly at that and the rest of the room chuckled at the interaction, glad to see the group smiling.

**[Cyberfighter]**

**DOCTOR: Hot-wiring a Cyberfighter. Oh, it's warp. Of course. Which makes it trickier, unless you're me, which I am, which is good, cos I used to hot-wire warp drives for fun on a weekend as a teenager. Not that we had weekends. Or teenagers. Basically, I used to do this a lot and people got mad. But now it's going to save our lives, so who was right all along and is now the real winner?**

The room chuckled at how excited the Doctor was messing with the Cybership and not uncurious about the mention of her childhood that was so rare.

The Master raised his eyebrow at the Doctor from where he'd been sitting quietly in the corner, carefully watching the video waiting for what he knew was coming, eager to see the Doctor's companions' reactions to the truth. Her mention of childhood memories brought him out of his own thoughts and back to the present. "Everyone was always mad at you anyway; you were always finding trouble."

The Doctor met his eyes for the first time in a while, for once having a non-literal mental conversation. "You say that like you weren't next to me helping me find or make trouble." She argued, stuck somewhere between reminiscing and defensive – they both knew what was coming and neither were quite sure they were ready.

**ETHAN: There's a faster way. Here. Let me.  
RYAN: Hey, do you need help with that, kid?  
ETHAN: Who are you calling kid?  
(Engines come on.)  
DOCTOR: This is going to make him cross. Here we go. Hold on. Hate these controls.**

"Like you actually care about making him cross. You're probably hoping for it." Rose said, the Doctor just shrugged grinning slightly.

**[Planet surface]**

**CYBERGUARD: Cyber shuttle theft in progress, leader. Human life signs aboard.  
(The Cyberfighter flies off.)**

**[Farmhouse]**

**(Meg goes to smooth down a bit of grown-up Brendan's hair.)  
BRENDAN: Mum!  
MEG: Sorry. Very smart.  
PATRICK: Ready then, son?**

"And we're back to Ireland." Bill sighed, the room was a bit on edge with worry over the group being split up and in danger with the Cybermen and now they were back seeing Ireland with no idea why it was relevant.

**[Garda]**

**SERGEANT: It's a good form. You've done a good job on this. Very neat handwriting. And why do you want to be a guard, Brendan?  
PATRICK: He wants to serve.**

That caused the Doctor to flinch. She still wasn't quite sure how the memories lined up, so many were still missing (more were missing than she had probably), but she knew at one point she had worked for the mysterious 'Division' and she still had no idea what they did.

**SERGEANT: Best leave the lad speak for himself, eh, Pat?  
PATRICK: Right.  
BRENDAN: I want to make a difference.  
SERGEANT: I was with him the day he found you. Look at you now.**

"Is it just me or have they not really aged much. Brendan's the only one that seems to be older." Clara pointed out; eyes wide as she watched the screen.

"Maybe its just because Brendan was a kid, makes the ageing more obvious?" Martha offered an explanation with a shrug; she hadn't really noticed it.

"No, I think Clara's right. Okay so something weird is going on in Ireland too. Great." Amy agreed.

**[Gravraft]**

**GRAHAM: Yaz, where are we? What are we doing here? I think we're stuck with this lot. How are we going to get back to the Doc and Ryan?  
YASMIN: Don't worry, we'll find them.  
GRAHAM: Well, and how are we going to do that?  
YASMIN: Me and you, together? No one else stands a chance.**

"Good on you two. Stay strong and together." The Doctor nodded at the pair who grinned back, she wasn't trying to be condescending and they knew it.

**YEDLARMI: Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. You're pushing it too hard.  
RAVIO: Don't tell me how to work this thing.  
YEDLARMI: Who's the one who salvaged this thing in the first place?  
RAVIO: Yeah, and who patched it up?  
YEDLARMI: You'll wreck it if you push it past half power. Seriously.  
RAVIO: Look how low the life support has got. We won't get there with anything less than 90 percent.  
YEDLARMI: We won't make it at all if you push it past 90.**

"So, they seem to have a destination in mind which is good but it'd be nice not to crash for once." Martha said, looking to Yaz and Graham who shrugged but didn't answer her silent question. They couldn't say things hadn't ended in explosions.

**YASMIN: Make it where?  
BESCOT: To Ko Sharmus. And the Boundary. It's where we've been trying to get to. Our only point of safety.  
YEDLARMI: Yeah, that's what we've been told.  
BESCOT: You've got to believe, Yedlarmi.  
YEDLARMI: Do we? And how's that working for us?  
BESCOT: It's the best we've got.  
GRAHAM: And what Boundary are you talking about?  
RAVIO: Supposedly a way out of this galaxy. A gateway, a direct route out of here, into another random part of the universe. We get through there, the Cybermen can't follow. The Boundary patterns are never the same twice. It's our best hope of safe harbour.**

"How does that work?!" Jack asked, forehead scrunched up as he mentally went through his knowledge of future tech to try and figure out how this gateway could exist. River seemed to be doing the same thing on her other side. The Doctor was stuck between the two trying her best not to look at the Master who was giving across the impression of smugness though their link.

**(Bang, alarms.)  
YEDLARMI: Energy parcelling's cratering. Didn't I say you were pushing it too hard?  
RAVIO: It's fine.  
YEDLARMI: What did I tell you?  
RAVIO: It's fine!  
BESCOT: Fourteen breaches in the shell lining.  
YEDLARMI: Oxygen pressure's dropping.  
BESCOT: Energy cells compromised. Contents getting critical.  
(Bang!)**

"That's not fine." Donna decided, her voice showing no room for negotiation, not that anyone in the room was likely to argue.

**GRAHAM: Ah!  
RAVIO: Okay, it's not fine.**

"At least she admits it." Mickey shrugged, with a small worried smile.

**YEDLARMI: The whole system's melting down.  
RAVIO: It can't, not here.  
BESCOT: It's going to blow. Get down!  
(Explosion.)**

The group whipped around to check on the pair that had been in the ship who were offering small reassuring smiles that they had survived. The Doctor watched the pair for several minutes, she didn't know what had happened to them when they were separated, they hadn't had time to share stories and the adventure hadn't ended well.

**[Cyberfighter]**

**(At warp.)  
RYAN: This is rough. It's making me feel sick.  
DOCTOR: Cyber warp tech. Not designed for humans. Ooo! Have a humbug. It'll help. Added ginger.**

"And why do you have ginger sweets in your pockets?!" River thundered, turning her whole body towards the Doctor next to her who shrunk slightly in her seat. It didn't help she could feel Jack's confused/angry glare from the other side of her and the Master's messy bundle of emotions across the room.

The rest of the room turned to the pair, a mix bag of confusion and worry. Most of them hadn't heard that tone from River and were confused over her anger about the sweets.

"River! Why are you shouting at her for having sweets? You know what she's like she usually has sweets in her pockets." Amy was the only one brave enough to ask her daughter the thought on most of their minds.

"Because, mother, they're ginger sweets." River gritted out, not taking her eyes off the Doctor. When silence met her announcement, she continued her explanation. "As I'm sure you'll remember the Doctor mentioned earlier that ginger was different for Time Lords. Ginger acts like alcohol for them. So, I would like an explanation for why you have something you know will get you 'drunk' so to say, on adventures when you need your full concentration?" The last part was directed towards a rather expressionless Doctor.

The Doctor couldn't hide her wince at the explosion of noise that met River's answers. They all wanted to know why and when and how and so many questions she didn't want to answer, but she'd promised to try and River wasn't going to let her get away with it.

She took a deep breath to steady herself, glancing up at her current companions first, they were the only ones that really deserved the answer – it was them that she could have put in danger with her stupid choices. "I just needed a break from everything sometimes. I didn't ever have any when we were in actual trouble but sometimes when you were all at home or asleep, I'd just have some time to myself and I couldn't help it. It helped me deal with the memories and Galif-… I'm sorry, I know it was dangerous but I never did it when I was with you, I swear." Her pleading answer was aimed to the trio watching her with eager eyes, apprehension clear on their faces.

"God Doc. It's not that we're worried about. Well, a little bit. But the fact that you were essentially drinking away your worries and memories is." Graham choked out, looking a bit pale with the revelation.

"I'm sorry." She answered for lack of anything else to say. She let out a small squeak when River grabbed her, she'd been so focused on her fam she'd been ignoring her wife. River pulled her against her side, so that she was tucked into her side and curled an arm around the Doctor, trapping her in a sort of hug. "River!"

"You shouldn't have those sweets but I can't and don't want to control you. Just let me hold you. I think we both need the comfort." River explained, holding her wife close to her. She felt the moment the Doctor agreed, as she practically sunk into her side, energy leaving her.

**ETHAN: I've programmed in a destination of Ko Sharmus. That's where the others will be heading. Now, if this is warp drive, we'll get there before them. I've been scanning, but I can't see them. Maybe we're already ahead. What?**

"You're heading to the same place, that's good." Bill muttered; the room was still a bit too tense to really appreciate it though.

**DOCTOR: You're good at this.  
ETHAN: First thing my dad taught me. How to hijack cyber ships, how to take 'em apart, how to burn 'em to the ground. I was four.  
DOCTOR: Born in wartime.  
RYAN: So this is all you've ever known.  
ETHAN: The war made us pariahs, because of what was always coming for us. The last Cybermen, intent on destroying the last humans.**

If the mood in the room wasn't already tense it would have been now. They'd gotten so focussed on the Doctor they'd forgotten the horrible fact of humanity almost being wiped out in a war against the Cybermen.

**(A hologram appears.)  
DOCTOR: Ah! Here he is, the bad penny. We were just talking about you.  
ASHAD [hologram]: We know where you are. We will find you.  
DOCTOR: Yeah, yeah. Have you not asked that great slab of Cyber AI you absorbed about me? I'm the Doctor. Consult the Cyberium, mate. I've stopped you lot so many times before, and I'll do it again, time after time after time.**

"Cyberium?" Clara asked, raising an eye at the Doctor in a way reminiscent of her school teacher days.

"It's what Ashad wanted when we found us in 1816. What Jack warned us not to let the Lone Cyberman get. He got it. It being a kind of AI with all the knowledge of the Cybermen, it's incredibly dangerous in his hands, well his mind." The Doctor explained, frown fixed on her face.

**ASHAD [hologram]: No. The Cyberium does know you. Both you and humanity will be destroyed, and I shall bring the Cyber race to its greatest ever glory.  
DOCTOR: Quite a grudge you've got against humanity, especially considering you used to be one.  
ASHAD [hologram]: When the glorious Cyber Empire arrived, I was a willing recruit. But as I took my rightful place, as I began my blessed ascension, I was denied. At first I cursed myself, hid in the shadows, ashamed. But now I understand I was not discarded. I was chosen to revive the glory of the Cyber race.**

"He chose to be converted?!" Rose and Bill exclaimed at the same time; expressions clearly horrified. The Doctor grimaced but nodded.

"There's something wrong with him even before becoming a Cyberman then." Bill continued, mixed between disbelief and horror. That wiped away any worries she had about a partial conversion.

**DOCTOR: There's no glory being a Cyberman. And there's definitely no glory in you. I mean, talk about an identity crisis. You despise who you are. That anger and hatred that's driving you, those are human emotions. The real Cybermen, they don't do emotions, so you loathe your own being because of what's driving you. Now that's what I call an inner conflict.  
ASHAD [hologram]: Yes. You are correct.  
DOCTOR: Oh. Am I? I didn't expect you to take it that well. I'll have to bill you for therapy at this rate.**

"Seriously Doctor?" She just shrugged; she really hadn't expected him to admit she was correct.

**ASHAD [hologram]: The Cyberium has given me understanding. It has distilled my purpose. I am the perfect vessel. Everything is in me for the ascension of the Cybermen, and beyond.  
DOCTOR: What do you mean, beyond? What's beyond that?  
ASHAD [hologram]: All your deaths. The death of everything is within me.**

"And that is a truly worrying statement." Amy announced with a grimace. The 'death of everything' was never a good thing. She didn't miss the glance the current companions and the Doctor shared which only increased her worry. Nothing good was coming.

**[Cliff]**

**BRENDAN: Stop there, thief! Come on, then. Give me the bag. Everybody gets their stuff back.**

"Ireland again! And another time jump." Bill declared, slightly redundantly at this point but she'd started and was going to continue announcing the jump between stories.

**(The thief pulls out a revolver.)**

"That took a turn suddenly." Yaz blinked, chewing her lip slightly in worry. She had the advantage of knowing most of what happened with the Cybermen at least but she had no clue about Ireland and that made her more nervous. She also couldn't help with emphasise with young Brendan - she knew the dangers of work as a policewoman.

**BRENDAN: You don't need to do that.  
MICHAEL: Move round now.  
BRENDAN: All right, all right.  
(Now Brendan is on the cliff edge.)  
BRENDAN: Look, I know you don't want to use that.  
(Gunshot. Brendan falls backwards. Thud. The Sergeant runs along the shingle beach.)**

The room watched the screen a mixture of shock and horror clear on their faces. They really hadn't been expecting that turn of events. The Doctor risked a glance at the Master who met her eyes but kept his expression and emotions guarded – they both knew exactly what had happened. They were getting tantalisingly close to the truth and the Doctor wasn't sure how she could deal with the emotional mess that was inevitable. She was already wishing she still had those ginger sweets even if no one would approve.

**SERGEANT: Brendan! Brendan.  
(Brendan gasps and sits up.)  
BRENDAN: I... I'm fine. I'm fine! Which way did he go? Come on.  
(And runs off.)**

"The hell?" Bill let out then blushed a bit at the volume she'd shouted it. The sentiment seemed to echo through the room though, all shocked by what they'd just seen.

"But he was dead! He was shot and even if he survived that, he fell off a cliff! How?!" Rose asked the room at large despite none of them having answers outside the Doctor and Master.

The Doctor just sighed, which she thought to herself she seemed to be doing a lot lately, but gave a vague answer to try and appease the room at least for now. "I promise it will be explained soon, just watch please." She was so distracted by the rest of the room she missed the looks River and Jack exchanged over her head, they both had a theory forming and they weren't liking it at all.

**[Garda]**

**(Being checked out by a doctor.)  
BRENDAN: I was lucky.  
(Patrick and the Sergeant look at each other.)**

"They know something. They absolutely know something." Bill pointed out, everything was making less and less sense.

**[Farmhouse]**

**(Newspaper headline - Miracle fall officer receives commendation.)  
MEG: It's a lovely picture. You look very dashing.  
BRENDAN: Ma, put it away.**

**[Gravraft]**

**GRAHAM: We're still alive!**

"Back to trouble in space then. Glad you're still alive." Mickey offered the current companions a smile. The whole room was glad to see them well on screen even though they knew they had survived as they were in the room with them.

**YEDLARMI: Give it time.**

"Well, he's a bundle of fun." Nardole muttered.

**GRAHAM: I wish you was a bit more glass half-full, sunshine.  
RAVIO: He's right, though. If anyone's got any heartfelt end-of-life speeches, now is probably the moment.  
GRAHAM: Er...  
YASMIN: Well er...  
RAVIO: Oh, God, you're not actually going to do that, are you?  
YASMIN: There must be something we can do. Why is all this shut down?  
RAVIO: We've got to conserve what little power we've got left.  
(Thud on the hull.)**

"That doesn't sound good." Rory sighed, closing his eyes tightly for a second as if would make the danger disappear.

**BESCOT: What was that?  
RAVIO: I don't know.  
GRAHAM: Any idea where we are?  
YEDLARMI: Middle of space, dying slowly.  
GRAHAM: Yes, thank you, Eeyore, I got that much.**

That comment earned a few chuckles from the room, glad for the break from the tense atmosphere that kept creeping in to suffocate them.

**BESCOT: Oi, you. How many times have we had to get out of trouble together?  
YEDLARMI: There's only three of us now. We're just the scraps.  
BESCOT: Yeah, but we're still not going to go down without a fight.  
YASMIN: What are those noises?  
RAVIO: We were passing through the old battlegrounds when everything failed. Who knows what's out there.  
YASMIN: I'm going to take a look.  
YEDLARMI: Oi, careful, will you?  
(Yasmin climbs up to a viewport.)  
GRAHAM: What's out there? Can you see what's making the noises?  
YASMIN: Yeah, I can.  
GRAHAM: And?  
YASMIN: Bits of dead Cybermen, floating in space.**

"That's not good. Let's hope they really are dead." Clara declared, shooting the pair a nervous look every so often.

**RAVIO: Must be one of the last battle sites.  
GRAHAM: They're definitely dead though, right?  
RAVIO: Look, we're turning.**

"A ship. That's good right?" Rose asked hopefully. The look that Graham and Yaz shared didn't reassure her.

**BESCOT: What else can you see?  
YASMIN: Dormant ships. Loads of 'em. That's hope right there. Right, Graham?  
GRAHAM: Yaz, jump down. Let's have a look. There you go, look. Now, that one at the front, there's an opening in it, like a... a docking bay. If we could just get in there, and get across there, you know what  
RAVIO: We'd never reach it. We don't have the power.  
GRAHAM: Well, what about life support?  
YASMIN: Yeah. Channel the remaining energy off those systems.  
GRAHAM: That's what you need, burst of acceleration.  
BESCOT: It might work.**

"Look at you two with the brilliant ideas! Ten points." The Doctor grinned proud of the pair while the three current companions bemoaned the reappearance of the point system.

**RAVIO: We could vent the air pressure. It could spin us enough.  
YEDLARMI: We'll lose all the oxygen. We'll be dead.  
GRAHAM: We're dead anyway! At least let's have a go, eh?  
BESCOT: Okay.  
YEDLARMI: So, we channel every last bit of life support towards propulsion. Everything off. Shut everything down. Any system that's still got even the tiniest hint of power has got to go. We must be mad.  
YASMIN: Not mad. Hopeful.**

"Half the time I think they're the same thing." Donna grumbled. The Doctor grinned madly, that explained a lot about her then.

**RAVIO: Okay.  
GRAHAM: Don't panic. And don't take any deep breaths, cos they ain't gonna come.  
YASMIN: We've been stranded in space before.**

The trio and the Doctor shared a look remembering their first proper adventure as a group when they'd ended up stuck in space while trying to find the Tardis. It seemed like so long ago now. They'd come so far and seen so many things since then.

**GRAHAM: Yeah.  
RAVIO: Here we go.  
GRAHAM: Yeah.  
(Ravio gives the nod and appropriate levers are pulled. The Gravraft tumbles towards the Cybercruiser and slots neatly through into the docking bay.)  
GRAHAM: We landed.  
RAVIO: I think we did.  
(They laugh.)**

A cheer broke out across the room, happy for some good news at last.

**[Cybercarrier]**

**YEDLARMI: Look at the size of this place.  
RAVIO: We must've come in through the docking bay entrance.  
YASMIN: Well, good job they left the doors open.  
YEDLARMI: We triggered automation sensors as we came in. Set everything going again. You two are lucky.  
GRAHAM: We're not lucky, sunshine, we're persistent. We never give up. Luckily for you.  
YASMIN: Let's have a look around.  
GRAHAM: Right.  
(A Cyberfighter drops out of warp nearby.)**

"Out of trouble in one way and straight into trouble in another way." Martha shook her head. "Typical."

**[Cyberfighter]**

**CYBERGUARD 1: Exiting warp, leader. The trail of the human craft ends here.  
CYBERGUARD 2: Human life signs registering on carrier ship.  
ASHAD: Yes. The Cyberium sees all. Their destiny and ours, intertwined. The site of our greatest defeat, and soon a shrine for our rebirth.**

The room glanced at the pair worried, they were practically trapped on the giant ship with Cybermen coming after them, things weren't looking good and they still didn't know where Ryan and the Doctor were.

**[Planet]**

**DOCTOR [OC]: Shuttle calling Ko Sharmus. Anyone hear me? Anyone there on Ko Sharmus, talk to me. Please? What I'd give for a friendly voice right now.  
(An older man comes out of a tent.)  
DOCTOR [OC]: Go on, please? Shuttle calling Ko Sharmus.  
KO SHARMUS: Ko Sharmus responding.**

"At least you two have found the right place. Grham and Yaz just need to find a way there to meet you." Rory said, glancing between the trio and the Doctor.

**[Cyberfighter]**

**KO SHARMUS [OC]: Hello? Hello?  
ETHAN: We've made it!  
DOCTOR: This is the Doctor. Who's that?**

**[Planet]**

**KO SHARMUS: I've told you. This is Ko Sharmus.  
DOCTOR [OC]: Ko Sharmus? You're a person, not a planet?**

The room turned to look at the Doctor. "Did you really think Ko Sharmus was a planet?" Amy asked, disbelief clear in her voice as was a tone of fondness.

The Doctor shrugged. "You never know, wouldn't be the first time I met a sentient planet." That drew her some more looks but she didn't offer any more information and the video continued playing.

**KO SHARMUS: Who are you? What do you want?**

**[Cyberfighter]**

**ETHAN: We're human. We've come to cross the Boundary.**

**[Planet]**

**KO SHARMUS: No, I don't think so.**

"What do you mean 'no'?" Donna protested for the sake of the people on screen, the rest of the room seemed equally annoyed and disbelieving.

**[Cyberfighter]**

**DOCTOR: What do you mean?**

**[Planet]**

**KO SHARMUS: There are no more humans.**

"Well, he's in for a shock." Rose grinned.

**[Cyberfighter]**

**DOCTOR: Well, we've got news for you. First things first, we're on a stolen Cybership, but we're not Cybermen, we're friendly, and there's more on the way.**

**[Planet]**

**DOCTOR [OC]: Very much looking forward to meeting you.**

**[Cyberfighter]**

**DOCTOR: Now forgive me, I need to jump off. I have to land this thing properly.**

"I don't think you're capable of flying anything properly, Doc." Graham teased, happy to see the pair semi-safe. The Doctor just pouted while the others laughed.

**[Planet]**

**DOCTOR [OC]: I'll just park this thing over the bridge.  
(Ko Sharmus watches them fly overhead.)**

**[Cybercarrier]**

**(Same designer as for the Borg Cubes...)  
RAVIO: It's so cold in here.  
GRAHAM: Ah, see? That is cos you're alive and breathing, cos of us.  
RAVIO: Are you going to keep going on about that?  
GRAHAM: Yes, every hour on the hour. What are you laughing at?  
YASMIN: You.  
GRAHAM: What about me?  
YASMIN: You've come a long way, Graham O'Brien.  
GRAHAM: Thanks, Yaz.**

The pair shared a grin, they really had come a long way since meeting the Doctor. Watching the videos just made the difference all the clearer. To think that he'd wanted to run away the first time he had heard the word 'aliens' and now he was coming up with plans to save the last of humanity in the middle of space in the far future.

**YEDLARMI: I raided one of these carriers once. Nearly got fried to death. Good times. CyberControl should be just down here.  
YASMIN: Wait. Is this a Cybership?  
BESCOT: War carrier. We get this working, it can get us to Ko Sharmus. Maybe even find your friends.  
GRAHAM: War carrier? Are you thinking what I'm thinking?  
YASMIN: What was it carrying?**

"Why is there always bad news with the good news?" Mickey complained.

Jack however seemed to have suddenly had an idea. "If it's a carrier and you being there is waking up all the systems then -." He trailed off, worry clear in his face. The grim expressions on Yaz and Graham's faces told him everything he needed to know. His words had clearly got the rest of the room thinking as they looked even more worried than they were before.

**[CyberControl]**

**YEDLARMI: This is the control deck, all right. Systems still intact. Full power banks. This'll get us to Ko Sharmus. We could even use it to cross the Boundary.  
BESCOT: Use it as a settlement ship till we find the best habitable planet.  
YEDLARMI: Yeah, that could work.  
GRAHAM: Oh, careful, son. You sounded slightly positive there for a sec.**

"Really Grandad?" Ryan shook his head at Graham's antics.

"What?" Graham protested confused.

**RAVIO: I'm going to take a look around the rest of the carrier, see what else is here.  
GRAHAM: I'll come with you. It'll be safer with two.  
BESCOT: Go careful.  
GRAHAM: I was born careful.  
YASMIN: That's actually true.**

Graham shot Yaz a look while both her and Ryan started chuckling. The rest of the room started as well after a few minutes, glad to see the group in a good enough mood to make jokes despite the clear danger.

**YEDLARMI: It's going to take a while to reboot. Have to go one section at a time.**

**[Cybercarrier]**

**(The lights come on as they open the bulkhead door.)  
GRAHAM: Level 139. It's always been my favourite level.  
RAVIO: It's as good as any.  
GRAHAM: At least he's got the power back on, though, eh?  
(They stagger.)  
GRAHAM: Ah!  
RAVIO: They must have got us moving.**

"That or you're being boarded. Personally, I'm voting for your idea." Jack said, glancing at Yaz and Graham who didn't answer either way.

**GRAHAM: Yeah.  
RAVIO: You know, I'm starting to think we're in with a good chance of surviving today.  
GRAHAM: Oh, not just today. You've still got a lot of life ahead of you.  
RAVIO: Yeah, well, I hope you're right.  
(They come to another bulkhead door with a glowing blue disc.)  
GRAHAM: How do you reckon we get in?  
(The doors creak open.)  
GRAHAM: Right. Let's have a butcher's. Butcher's hook? Look? It's cockney rhyming slang. No, don't worry about it.  
RAVIO: You are really strange.  
GRAHAM: Excuse me, I'm the most normal bloke you're ever going to meet.  
RAVIO: No, strange is a compliment. I like strange.**

"Are you flirting? Ew, Graham." Ryan complained, looking a bit ill at seeing Graham flirting with someone. Yaz just started laughing at his expression and Graham's confuddled one.

**GRAHAM: Oh? Oh, well...  
(The lights don't come on but the doors close behind them.)  
GRAHAM: What do you reckon these are, then?  
(He kicks a pod and it powers up.)  
GRAHAM: Oop. Hello.  
(Ravio touches the blue disc on the pod and it opens to reveal its obvious contents.)  
RAVIO: This was a troop carrier, bringing soldiers to the front. Fresh Cybermen ready to fight. Warrior class.**

"Oh no."

**(Lights start to come on.)  
GRAHAM: There's got to be over a thousand Cybermen in here.  
RAVIO: I counted ten doors on each level.  
GRAHAM: Well, how many levels on this ship?  
RAVIO: Several hundred.  
GRAHAM: And we're in the middle of stealing it.**

"Because things couldn't get much worse." Clara sighed. The companions' faces showed their concern for the pair. They had nowhere to hide from the Cybermen waking up on the ship and they had other Cybermen already hunting them. Five humans against thousands (if not more) Cybermen really weren't good odds. Things really weren't looking great.

**(Meanwhile, down in the docking bay...)  
ASHAD: We are home. The Cyberium has called me to this task, and now its vision shall be fulfilled.  
CYBERGUARDS: Hail the Cyberium.**

**[Planet]**

**DOCTOR: Afternoon! Or is it morning? Loving the coastline.**

"Priorities Doctor!" Donna berated. The Doctor offered a sheepish grin but underneath the paper-thin grin she was worried about Yaz and Graham. She knew they were safe, she knew they came out unharmed but it was different to see everything, to see all the danger they were in, the danger she had put them in.

**RO SHARMUS: Three of you. Not just one, but three of you. I don't believe it. There's me, having lost all hope.  
DOCTOR: Consider us your hope restored. I'm the Doctor. This is Ryan and Ethan. Do you mind if I have a shufti around? How are your defences here? Come on.**

"Technically it's only two humans with another five on the way hopefully but I don't think its time to get into all that." River said, squeezing the Doctor's arm. She still held the Doctor trapped against her, not that she minded that much – she was happy to be back in her wife's arms but she was slightly (extremely) concerned about escape routes for when everything was revealed.

**[Shanty]**

**DOCTOR: Did this settlement start with you?  
RO SHARMUS: Yes. Myself and handful of others fleeing the Cybercamps.  
ETHAN: So you fought in the war?  
RO SHARMUS: Yes. For a long time. Then I was captured and held in a human interment camp for processing. Sent for upgrade. I was one of the lucky ones who got away. We had heard tell of this place. We didn't really believe it, but we managed to get here. The war hadn't made it this far, so we built shelter and, over time, others came. The word spread.**

"But where is everyone else?" Martha asked, inspecting the screen as if waiting of other humans to appear. Ko Sharmus' attitude and response to seeing them wasn't particularly promising.

**ETHAN: So where's everyone else?  
RO SHARMUS: There's only me. I helped everyone else through the Boundary. And then, because I'm an idiot, I felt like it was my duty to wait in case others came. But it's been a long time.  
DOCTOR: You sacrificed your own life on the chance others were still out there.  
RO SHARMUS: You make it sound more noble than it is.  
ETHAN: So it's true? The Boundary, it's real?  
RO SHARMUS: Of course it's real.  
DOCTOR: Will you show us?**

"Yes, please do. I want to see this magical boundary." Jack said mostly to himself. Leaning forward in his seat with a glance at the Doctor and River (who seemed to share the same sentiment), eager to see this so called 'boundary'.

**[CyberControl]**

**(An alarm sounds.)  
YASMIN: I think this is trying to tell us something.  
YEDLARMI: Oh, no.  
BESCOT: We've been boarded.**

"Good, you know you're in trouble. Now you have a chance to hide or escape." Rose nodded. Half the time it seemed they had no warning and danger appeared before they could plan anything. Yaz and Graham at least had a chance to do something before they were completely trapped.

**YASMIN: Open the comms channel.  
YEDLARMI: Yeah, yeah, I'm doing it.  
YASMIN: Graham, Ravio, head to the control deck. Cybermen just boarded.**

**[Cybercarrier]**

**YASMIN [OC]: Graham, Ravio, this is Yaz. Cybermen have boarded and are on your level. Get back here as quick as you can.  
(They run to a bulkhead door.)  
YASMIN [OC]: Yaz calling Graham and Ravio, can you hear me?  
GRAHAM: Yes, thank you!**

"Sorry Graham." Yaz offered Graham a small smile, she'd been worried when they hadn't answered the first time. Ryan was looking between the pair nervous; they really hadn't gotten into detail on how close they'd been.

**(A door closes in front of them as Ashad and his escort come round the corner.)  
ASHAD: Wait.  
(The door opens and Ashad enters the Warrior storage area.)  
ASHAD: Abandoned no longer. Ascension is near!**

"Really not good."

**[CyberControl]**

**YEDLARMI: No wonder they almost wiped us out. The systems on this ship are the most advanced I've ever seen. Have you seen the speed we're going at? It'll barely take us any time to get to Ko Sharmus.  
GRAHAM: Yeah, bringing hundreds of thousands of dormant Cybermen with us.  
RAVIO: We can't do that. We cannot take Cybermen to the Boundary.  
YASMIN: What are our other options? Surrender this ship? Land on another planet and set the Cybermen loose there? We're going to keep all of you safe. We're going to find the Doctor and we're going to take them Cybermen down. Aren't we, Graham?  
GRAHAM: Yes, we are, Yaz. Totally. Very much so.  
YEDLARMI: That's some high-level self-delusion.  
GRAHAM: None of us are giving up, eh? Not now. Glass half-full, right?**

Graham and Yaz shared a glance, they didn't know what else to have done at the time and thankfully they seemed to have made the right choice. The rest of the room were watching the screen, concern obvious on their faces which was nice to see. Ryan was glancing between the two worried, it was different seeing the danger on screen, when it was actually happening - they didn't normally have much time to react to anything.

The Doctor grinned proud to see how much they'd all changed since she'd first met them, they'd grown in confidence and here they were helping others and surviving against all odds.

**BESCOT: What do you think they're doing down there?  
YEDLARMI: Let me activate the ob system.  
GRAHAM: They've opened up those containers.**

"Great just great." Nardole grumbled.

**[Cybercarrier]**

**ASHAD: Awaken, my soldiers. The ascension shall begin.  
(Ashad fires his laser on continuous into a Cyberman. His guards do the same. The Cybermen scream.)**

**[CyberControl]**

**RAVIO: We're carrying the Cyberman that makes other Cybermen scream.**

"That is terrifying. What are they doing?!" Bill frowned at the screen; she really didn't like the Cybermen but whatever could make them scream like that was not good.

**[Planet]**

**(On a stony shore.)  
RYAN: So where's this Boundary? Cos that's just the sea.  
RO SHARMUS: This is where it starts, every time. Where I've seen people go through, and I hope they're alive and well elsewhere.  
DOCTOR: That's quite a risk everyone's taking. A leap into the unknown.  
RO SHARMUS: It was preferable to the alternative. If you want to see it, step closer. It responds to proximity.**

"So, he has no actual clue what it is or how it works, great." Amy rolled her eyes. "But you're going to go poke it anyway because that's just what you do." The Doctor just offered a shaky smile and shrug, they were getting so close to the truth and it was slowly eating away at her.

**(The Doctor walks forward.)  
RO SHARMUS: A bit further, and it will respond.  
(The purple Vortex from the opening credits appears.)  
RO SHARMUS: Here it comes.  
DOCTOR: How is that possible?  
RO SHARMUS: I don't know, but it's good, isn't it? It's the last way out of this galaxy.**

"I think I'd want to understand what the glow-y thing was and If I would survive it before I ran through it." Rory argued, gaining a few nods of agreement and a few sheepish looks from those who would have absolutely just gone through said glow-y thing.

**[Garda]**

**OFFICER: It's a sad day for us all here, but if any man can be said to have earned a peaceful retirement, it's our Brendan. On behalf of the local community, and everyone past and present who you've helped, we'd like to present you with this memento. May we all live up to the standards you've set us. Thank you, Brendan.  
BRENDAN: Thank you, sir.**

"Ireland again. You're definitely right Clara, Brendan's the only one ageing." Bill announced, watching the screen carefully.

"Something weird is going on there." Graham agreed.

"What gave it away Grandad, Brendan not dying after being shot or falling off a cliff?" Ryan snorted; sarcasm clear in his voice but also the undertone of concern. No one knew what was going on in Ireland but, just as with the Cybermen, it was nothing good.

**(A carriage clock.)**

**[Outside the Garda]**

**(Old Brendan walks out in civilian clothes to meet his unaged father and Sergeant.)  
SERGEANT: Hello, Brendan. Would you mind coming with us to the back office?**

**[Back office]**

**(They walk back through the Garda. Patrick puts the carriage clock down on a table, then they both handcuff Brendan to a chair and put headphone on him.)**

"What are they doing?!" Rose asked apprehensive. It seemed clear to the room that whatever was going on – the Sergeant and Patrick knew, Brendan was at the centre of it all and it wasn't anything good.

**PATRICK: We have to get rid of everything, I'm afraid.  
SERGEANT: Thank you for your service. We're sorry you won't remember it.  
(The Sergeant turns on the machine and Brendan writhes and screams.)**

Martha gasped, hand racing up to her mouth as she connected some strings. River and Jack also seemed to have finally figured something out glancing worriedly at the Doctor who hid her face in River's side. The clock had definitely helped connect a few ideas, whatever was going on with Brendan it was directly linked to Gallifrey and this secret, their theories were worrying them and they just wanted confirmation they were wrong at this point.

The rest of the room was oblivious to this exchange, simply watching the screen in horror. The Master schooled his face deceptively blank – he didn't want the Doctor to know how he had reacted the first time he had seen the truth and that was all he could think about watching the screen, knowing who it was in that chair screaming.

**{CyberControl]**

**(Ravio is flying the carrier.)  
YEDLARMI: We're coming out of Vortex. We're not far away.  
YASMIN: Close enough to send a signal, warn 'em we're coming.  
BESCOT: I can help you do that.  
GRAHAM: Guys, they're all waking up down there.  
(All the pod doors open and the warriors step out. They salute the Lone Cyberman.)  
ASHAD [on screen]: We know you're here. My warriors are coming for you.**

The room watched the screen but were still too shocked to actually say anything. The danger was obvious but they were here safe and everyone's emotions were all over the place to really register much for the moment. Brendan's screams still haunted them.

**YASMIN: Yaz looking for the Doctor, all frequencies. Yaz looking for the Doctor.**

**[Planet]**

**DOCTOR: Yaz, we can hear you. Can you hear me?  
YASMIN [OC]: Doctor!  
DOCTOR: Where are you?  
YASMIN [OC]: We're on a Cyber battle cruiser with that Cyber guy and a lot of Cyber troops that are waking up.**

"Good you've got contact." Mickey nodded, squeezing his wife's hand. He was worried about how she'd reacted to Breandan and he hadn't missed how she kept glancing between the screen and the Doctor, worry clear across her face – she'd worked something out that he was missing.

**[CyberControl]**

**GRAHAM: They're coming!  
(He closes the bulkhead door.)**

"That won't hold them for long." Jack muttered worried.

"It's better than nothing." Graham argued back, not really that bothered by the comment he knew Kack was just worried. They all were.

**GRAHAM: They're right outside the door!**

**[Planet]**

**DOCTOR: Yaz, get off that ship now.**

**[CyberControl]**

**YASMIN: We can't! We're trapped and they're about to break in.**

**[Planet]**

**DOCTOR: Yaz. Yaz!  
(Something happens in the Boundary.)**

"Bad timing." Rory muttered, watching the screen anxiously, everything seemed to suddenly be happening at once.

**ETHAN: What is that?  
DOCTOR: That's not possible.  
RO SHARMUS: I've never seen it look like that before.  
DOCTOR: That's my home planet. That's Gallifrey.**

"How? Why? That's honestly one of the worst things that could happen right now." Clara said, shooting the Doctor worried looks. She really didn't need the reminder of what had happened with her home when her friends were in such serious danger. The rest of the room seemed mixed between shocked at the appearance of Gallifrey and worried for how the Doctor would handle it and scared for the danger they were all in.

Yaz and Graham shared a glance that definitely explained a few things, they hadn't gotten much of an explanation regarding the planet and boundary the first time. Then they glanced at Ryan and all three seemed to have the same thought – they would finally find out what had happened through the boundary and hopefully what had happened to the Doctor that led to them all being brought here.

The Doctor just glared at the screen, ignoring the Master pushing at their bond and River squeezing her arm in an attempt of comfort. Things weren't ending they were only just starting.

**(The Cybermen push the door open.)  
DOCTOR: How is Gallifrey here?  
(Then a figure jumps in.)  
MASTER: Wow! Oh! Ah! That's a good entrance, right? Be afraid, Doctor. Because everything is about to change... forever.**

"I was wrong." Clara declared in the ensuing silence that suffocated the room. "He's officially the worst thing that could happen right now." She glared at the Master who preened in his seat, smugness radiating off him – oh, he was so excited to see their reactions and the Doctor dealing with those reactions. He wanted to see their interaction again, he wanted her attention all for himself.

The Doctor just managed to grab Jack's arm before he lunged to his feet to try and punch the Master. She glared him down when he whirled around to try and escape her grasp. He must have found something in her expression as he reluctantly settled back down on the sofa, poised on the edge ready for action. Instead, he glared at the Master who smirked back seemingly unaffected. "What have you done? Because destroying Gallifrey wasn't enough. What have you done to her?" He practically spat out, the Doctor kept a light grip on his arm to prevent him changing his mind and taking a leap at the Master. She was just glad that River had her other hand otherwise she thought River might have also had a go at the Master.

" _Do._ What did I _do_ to her? For once you'll be glad to know I did nothing Freak. Gallifrey did everything I simply showed her the truth." The Master practically purred, his eyes focussed on the Doctor rather than Jack, he wasn't sure what he wanted to see in her expression but he didn't get it, the Doctor was too busy looking round the room to focus on him. That thought turned sour in the pit of his stomach – of course even now he still didn't have her attention.

"What does that even mean?" River argued reaching the limits with her frustration, glaring fiercely at the Master, annoyed that his focus was till on the Doctor and no one else.

The Master laughed, a laugh edging on hysteria and madness. "Yes Doctor. Why don't you tell your little pets what they did to you? Why don't you tell them the truth about the Timeless Child?" That got her attention. The Doctor met his eyes, hazel eyes meeting hazel eyes both a swirl of madness, grief, fury and indescribable sadness. She couldn't even begin to untangle the mess of emotions that she was getting through their bond, maybe he had been more affected by what he had learnt than she first thought.

"-tor… Doctor?!" The Doctor's attention snapped away from the Master and back to Jack who had clearly been calling her name for a while based on how worried he looked.

"Sorry. What is it Jack?" She mumbled out, thoughts still focused on the Master and Timeless Child.

That did nothing to alleviate Jack's worry. "What did he mean Doctor? We've all had enough of the secrets. Please." He was practically begging at the end which was unusual for him. She spared a glance around the room taking in all the anxious, concerned and frustrated looks. Martha in particular looked like she was holding back tears – had she figured something out? If any of her companions, outside of Jack and River, were likely to piece it together it would be her or Clara. Martha had seen the Chameleon Arch after all and what had happened in the Ireland part with Brendan was probably close enough to worry her.

She forced her focus away from that mystery and back to Jack who looked like he was about to start calling her name again. She took a deep breath to try and calm the jittery feeling slowly taking her over, it didn't work but she pushed forward anyway, they were waiting on answers. Answers she wasn't prepared to give. She glanced between Jack and River before leaving her eyes on the blank screen. "You're about to find out. Let's continue."


	9. The Timeless Children

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!  
> Here it is - what we've all been waiting for.  
> I really hope you enjoy it as it took me so long, but I think it was worth it.  
> Let me know what episode you want next. I'm planning Rose next but after that I don't really have any concrete plans.  
> So let me know what you think (please!)  
> Thank you for all your support so far, I love you all so much.  
> Once again - Enjoy!  
> Robyn

No one was given a chance to speak before the words 'The Timeless Children' appeared on the screen. Apparently the Tardis agreed with the Doctor - they just needed to watch. It was finally time.

**[Planet]**

**DOCTOR: How are you here?  
MASTER: Take my hand.  
DOCTOR: Never.**

The pair had a staring contest, anger obvious to the rest of the room. There was a history there that none of them knew anything about, like with most interactions regarding the Doctor and the Master. River grabbed the Doctor's hand again, squeezing it to ground her back to the present. The Doctor finally looked away from the Master, offering a small smile to River to try and reassure her.

**MASTER: Take my hand or I turn them into tiny human dolls right here.**

The Master received glares from the rest of the room, which only made him smirk at them all, unrepentant. This time the Doctor refused to look at him, focusing purely on the screen to his frustration.

**DOCTOR: How have you connected Gallifrey to that Boundary?  
MASTER: Fine. You really want me to show you I'm serious? Eenie, meenie, miney... Miney.  
DOCTOR: Fine, I'll play your game. I'll be back.  
MASTER: She won't. And it's not a game. Good luck, humans. (The Master pulls the Doctor through the purple Boundary.)**

"What are you planning?" Martha gritted out, glaring fiercely at the Master, she didn't like how he had said she wouldn't be back and all theories forming in her head about this secret were starting to scare her.

The Master didn't provide her with an answer, offering a grin full of teeth at her before glancing back at the Doctor. His enjoyment at antagonising her pets soured when she still refused to look his way (instead reassuring Martha, Jack and River) and when he remembered how this particular encounter ended.

The Doctor watched the screen, she hadn't noticed how soft his voice had been. It wasn't like his normal madness, he'd been entirely focused on her and what he'd found in the Matrix.

**RYAN: We have to go through there. We have to go and get her.  
ETHAN: No, we have to wait for the others.  
(A massive Cybership appears overhead.)  
KO SHARMUS: They're here.**

"I appreciate the worry Ryan, but it would have been too dangerous and Ethan was right, you needed to wait for the others." The Doctor offered a small smile to Ryan, who smiled back nodding. Graham and Yaz smiled at him too, they'd definitely been glad to be reunited.

**[CyberCarrier]**

**BESCOT: Over here!  
RAVIO: Go, go, go, go!  
BESCOT: I'll cover you!  
(She gets one Cyberman in the chest while the others scramble through grating.)  
YEDLARMI: Come on! Bescot!  
(Bescot is killed.)**

The group looked down. Sad to see yet another person die, especially so close to escape. The tension in the room was high – between Graham and Yaz being in danger with the Cybermen and the Doctor with the Master, no one could relax.

**YEDLARMI: No!  
(He escapes.)  
ASHAD: The ship is ours.**

**[Gallifrey]**

**MASTER: Look upon my work, Doctor, and despair. Remember how we used to run through those streets as children? The alleys where we'd hide from Borusa as we skipped classes? All gone now. Come on, ask me why I did this.**

The companions inspected the screen, stuck between a mix of awe at seeing the Doctor's home and worry for the Doctor's situation. The interactions between the Master and Doctor kept leaving them with so many questions they wanted to ask, but the room was too tense. Amy, ever the brave one, decided her curiosity outweighed the risk.

"Who's Borusa?" Rory closed his eyes tightly, constantly concerned about his wife's lack of self-preservation (although he couldn't deny his own curiosity – he just wouldn't have asked at this time).

The Master and Doctor shared a glance, seemingly having a silent conversation debating who would answer. For once they weren't glaring furiously at each other but seemed oddly reminiscent, it wasn't often they actually discussed their shared childhood bar the occasional off-hand comment. It was the Doctor who answered (the Master's argument being that the humans were _her_ pets).

"He was our tutor as children, hence the skipping classes. He went a bit mad with power later on though." She paused, eyes a swirling mix of conflicting emotions (as was the way whenever her past or Gallifrey was brought up). "He died in the Time War ultimately." She glanced a look at the Master again, who seemed equally conflicted about Borusa – they both had plenty of good and bad memories about him. No one knew what to say to that, simply letting the video continue as the new information sank in.

**DOCTOR: Why did you do this?  
MASTER: Not telling you. (laughs) Oh, crack a smile.  
DOCTOR: Proud of yourself?  
MASTER: Definitely.  
DOCTOR: All this death finally made you happy?  
MASTER: Ecstatic.  
DOCTOR: And has it calmed all the rage?  
MASTER: I don't think anything will ever do that. We're going to take a tour through the Capitol. Or its ruins, at least. Things I need to show you. And, er, I know you're worried about your friends. Plotting how to get away. I can see it in your eyes. But you can't help them, so don't even think about it.**

"I'm always going to think about it." The Doctor shot across, back to glaring at the Master (she couldn't make her mind up whether ignoring him or reacting to him was better, well actually she had – ignoring him would be better but she kept forgetting that fact).

The Master wasn't given time to answer before Jack jumped in, perched on the edge of the sofa, body tightly coiled. "What is she supposed to do? Let you drag her around and gloat about destroying your home while her friends are in danger?" He snarled at the Master, any potential patience with the Time Lord gone between seeing the interactions on screen and the knowledge that he knew whatever this secret was. The Master just smirked at him so Jack added an extra remark, one that he knew would gain a reaction. "Maybe you don't know her as well as you like to say you do."

It got a reaction alright, just not the one he had expected. He had expected anger or gloating about how he knew her better than anyone, he'd interacted with the Master and read enough UNIT files to know he coveted his knowledge and relationship with the Doctor, however messed up that was. Instead, the Master's smirk dropped as he schooled his face blank, seemingly deflating in his seat. Jack was conscious of the Doctor's sharp inhale at his comment but focused on the Master's reaction, that was truly bewildering. He was about to chase after an answer but the Doctor grabbed his arm, causing him to turn to her. Her eyes were sad as she shook her head, he closed his mouth confused but knowing the Doctor was serious – this was not something he wanted to chase.

**[CyberCarrier deep storage vault]**

**(The bottom of an access ladder.)  
GRAHAM: Down you come. That's it. Yaz, come on.  
RAVIO: Where's Bescot?  
YEDLARMI: They killed her. We have to go back for her.**

"No offense but that's a terrible idea. What would they do with her body? You'd just end up getting caught and killed." Mickey stated, frowning. He understood the sentiment and that they were grieving but it was a terrible idea.

Yaz and Graham shared a glance, they'd thought the same. They understood their grief and fears but it would have gotten all of them killed. And they'd been focused on getting back to Ryan and the Doctor.

**GRAHAM: No, no, no. No, you can't do that, mate.  
YEDLARMI: Listen, don't tell me what I can't do. She had nightmares about being captured and converted. I can't let that happen.  
RAVIO: Do you really think that she would want you to go back there and risk your life?  
YEDLARMI: I owe her. And what difference does it make anyway? We don't stand a chance here. We are stuck on a ship stacked with Cybermen. Four humans sticking out on every surveillance system they've got.**

"You can't give up hope, if you do then you have no chance at surviving." Rose muttered mostly to herself, chewing her lip slightly, everything on screen was making her nervous.

**GRAHAM: He's right, and I've been thinking about that. I've got an idea. It's a bit of a mad one, quite dangerous and it might not work, but we've got form with plans like that, ain't we, Yaz?  
YASMIN: Yeah, our speciality. How dangerous?**

"I feel like that's a dig at me." The Doctor attempted to joke, trying to break some of the tense atmosphere.

The rest of the room glanced at her. "He's right, Sweetie. All your plans are insane." River saved her form the suffocating silence, reigning in the tense atmosphere for the moment.

The Doctor was stuck between smiling at hr wife, thankful for the support and pouting at the comment. She ended up on fond indignation. "Hey! They work! … Usually."

"Heavens know how." River squeezed her hand tightly, an attempt to comfort both of them. She was resisting the urge to kidnap her wife and leave the room entirely; she wasn't liking the glances the Doctor kept sharing with the Master or any of their interactions on screen. She could tell they were getting very close to this secret and she was already sure she was going to despise it.

**(They open up one of the pods.)  
GRAHAM: We use their armour so they don't notice us. That way, we can move around and get off the ship.**

The room turned to look at Graham, a mix of reactions to his plan. The Doctor seemed stuck between being proud and worried while the rest of the room varied form awed to disbelieving.

"I'm not sure that's how it works." Bill muttered, shivering with bad memories. Not many people heard her, too distracted by Jack.

"I like your style Silver Fox." Graham would forever deny blushing at that comment from Jack (and Ryan and Yaz would forever take great please in reminding him he had).

**YASMIN: So you want us to disguise ourselves as Cybermen?  
YEDLARMI: Have you ever opened one up?  
GRAHAM: Well, I guess it won't be pleasant.  
RAVIO: They're full of human remains.  
GRAHAM: Well, I don't need it spelling out, do I?**

"Loving your attitude throughout this Graham." Bill laughed earning a slightly unsure smile back from Graham. The Doctor smiled softly, glad to see Bill not reacting negatively to the reminder of the Cybermen, instead focusing on Graham and Yaz.

**YEDLARMI: You can't fake being a Cyberman for any length of time.  
YASMIN: We only need to do it for long enough to get us out of here.  
RAVIO: If you do the bodies, I could disable the suit connection into the shared neural network.  
YEDLARMI: It's insane.  
GRAHAM: Well, I didn't say it was a perfect plan, did I? But it is the best one we've got.**

"That's typically the way with the Doctor." Donna offered a rueful grin, gaining chuckles from the rest fo the companions while the Doctor pouted.

**[Planet - tent]**

**KO SHARMUS: This is my weapon store.  
RYAN: This all you got?  
KO SHARMUS: Well, it's quite hard to get deliveries out here, you know. I had hoped I'd fought my last battle a long time ago. Still... this old general still knows a few tricks.  
RYAN: I'm not too sure about weapons.**

Grham and Yaz nudged him, grinning. The Doctor grinned at him too, all three remembering Ryan's first attempt with weapons. Their humour gained a few curious looks.

"I'm guessing there's a story there." Rory said pointedly, looking between the group.

Ryan groaned, ignoring the other three's snickering but answered anyway. "Our first proper adventure when we were trying to find the Tardis, I decide to ignore the Doctor and try and use a gun. It didn't go well." Ryan grimaced a bit embarrassed.

Yaz wasn't merciful and offered the rest of the story between chuckles. "He couldn't figure out how to work the gun and came running back tail between his legs when the robot things started shooting at him."

The full explanation drew some chuckled form the rest of the group while Ryan hung his head in an attempt to hide his embarrassment.

**KO SHARMUS: Yeah, well, I'm sure about Cybermen. Now, you fight them or you die.  
ETHAN: They don't have any mercy.  
KO SHARMUS: You can be a pacifist tomorrow. Today, you have to survive.**

**[Citadel]**

**MASTER: Ah! The Citadel, the heart of Gallifrey. Recognise the old place? I was thinking I might knock through there, put a wet room there, screening room there. Torture room in the cellar, naturally. Oh. And see through there? The Panopticon. Well, what's left, which, er... which isn't much. We had some fun there, didn't we, hey? Graduated. Assassinated presidents. The best of times!**

"You're completely unhinged." Amy declared matter-of-fact. She had never met the Master in person before all this and now she was quite glad that was the case. The Master just grinned, all teeth, at her.

**But I thought here would be a fitting place to end this. (bingle) Oh. Oop. Excuse me. Check my notifications. Oh, goodie! The Cybermen are here, at the Boundary. Better extend the hand of friendship. Breaker 1-2 calling all Cybes.**

The room went back to glaring at the Master, angry for all the destruction and his blasé manner towards his destroyed home. Bill and Clara glared fiercely, neither enjoying the reminder of their last interaction with the Master and Cybermen together.

The Doctor could barely hide a flinch as the Master listed the destruction. They were getting so close and she wasn't sure how she was going to cope; she was terrified how they would all react.

**[CyberCarrier]**

**MASTER [OC]: Calling all Cybes.  
CYBERGUARD: Leader, incoming holo-transmission from beyond the Boundary.**

**[Citadel]**

**MASTER: Hello, Cybercarrier. Ooo, you look rough. Or is that a choice? Don't mean to conversion-shame you.  
ASHAD [hologram]: Who are you?  
MASTER: You may call me Master. I want you to think of me as your new best friend.**

Bill shuddered slightly in her seat, unseen to most of the room. The Master and the Cybermen interacting on screen were bringing back horrible memories that she'd been working to move past. The Doctor and Clara were the only people that noticed her darkening mood. The Doctor frowned, tempted to go and reassure Bill but knowing it wasn't likely River and Jack were going to let her leave her space between them (plus she didn't want to be that close to the Master at the minute).

Clara noticed the other young woman's change in mood, and offered an understanding smile. She remembered all too clearly Bill's story of being converted and the Master and Cybermen weren't exactly bringing back nice memories for her either. The understanding in Clara's expression seemed to reassure Bill who smiled softly back. Neither one of them noticed the Doctor watching them both proud and sad. She was glad to see her friends getting along but she hated that they had reason to share fears and past traumas. It seemed she never learnt her lesson.

**[CyberCarrier]**

**MASTER [hologram]: Now, the Boundary between worlds, this beautiful anomalous fluke**

**[Citadel]**

**MASTER: Come through it. Join me.  
ASHAD [hologram]: Why would we join you?  
MASTER: Because I have a planet going spare right here. The planet formerly known as Gallifrey.**

"You're seriously going to give your own planet to the Cybermen?" Rose asked shocked, gaping at the Master.

The Master stared her down with madness in his eyes. "I burnt Gallifrey to ashes, I can do what I want with the planet." Rose looked away first, while the Doctor just glared at the Master.

**DOCTOR: No. Don't bring them here. This is between you and me.  
MASTER: Don't heckle, dear. I can always decide to cut you short. I promise I'll roll out the red carpet. It's red because it's drenched in the blood of our people.**

The Doctor couldn't hide her flinch that time. River pulled her closer to her side again, squeezing her hand tightly while Jack practically growled looking ready to jump up and punch the Master again. The Master watched their movement, face deceptively blank (he hated how close she was to the freak and half-breed, but he didn't know how to feel about anything else – he was mad but the Doctor always induced an ugly swirl of mixed emotions he couldn't describe).

It was a startling reminder to the rest of the room about the situation. They'd spent the last video shocked and horrified by the existence of only seven (now four) humans left in the future and here the Doctor was being reminded she was one of only two of her species left. It put things in perspective a bit.

**[CyberCarrier]**

**MASTER [hologram]: I've sent you the navigation patterns. Come right to the hearts. Do what so many of your predecessors fantasised about.**

**[Citadel]**

**MASTER: Land your ship in the ruins of Gallifrey. On the way through, you should send a death squadron. Do you call it a death squadron? A deletion squad. No, a recruitment patrol. A human juicing party. To eliminate the three humans left alive on that planet. They're weak. It shouldn't take much. See you in a bit.**

The Doctor glared at the Master, furious at his disregard toward her friends and the other human's lives. This time Jack wasn't alone in looking like he was fantasising about punching the Master – most of the room shared the expression.

Graham, Ryan and Yaz shared a glance. That explained all the Cybermen suddenly deciding to attack. Not that they weren't always going to attack, just why at that time.

Clara, Bill and Martha's glares were particularly dark and spectacular. All had very good reason to hate (and fear) the Master.

**[CyberCarrier]**

**ASHAD: Send three execution units to the surface. And set course for Gallifrey.  
(Six Cybermen beam down.)**

**[Planet]**

**(Two groups of six Cybermen appear on the ridge.)  
KO SHARMUS [OC]: Here they come. Gird your loins, gentlemen.  
RYAN: Er... I don't... I don't how to do that.  
ETHAN: Me neither.**

There were a few small smiles at the confused looks on Ryan and Ethan's faces but the room was far too tense for anything else. Everything was heating up – Graham and Yaz were in trouble on the ship, Ryan was in danger at the boundary, and the Doctor was at the Master's mercy in the ruins of her home planet.

**[CyberCarrier]**

**(Another group of six beam down.)  
RAVIO: Transmat.**

"You could use it to get to the boundary too." Martha grinned, happy to see at least something good amongst all the trouble.

**[Planet]**

**(And two more groups appear.)  
KO SHARMUS [OC]: As my first commanding officer used to say, be brave, be swift. Most of all, be lucky.**

"Good moto." Nardole muttered, no one paid much attention to him, all to focused on the screen.

**[CyberCarrier deep storage vault]**

**(Yedlarmi and Ravio are doing the cutting and drilling.)  
YASMIN: All right?  
GRAHAM: Yeah, yeah. You?  
YASMIN: Yeah.  
GRAHAM: Listen, Yaz, er... if we don't get out of this...  
YASMIN: We will get out of this.**

Yaz and Graham shared small smiles, both remembering this interaction and infinitely glad they had survived and managed to reunite with Ryan and the Doctor, but they stuck by what they had said. It wasn't too often they spent time alone just the two of them but in some way they had enjoyed the chance despite the danger.

**GRAHAM: Yeah, well... I know, but I'm just saying, if we don't... I want you to know I... I think you're such an impressive young woman. Never thrown by anything. Always fighting.  
YASMIN: Thanks.  
GRAHAM: You said to the Doc that you thought she was the best person you'd ever met. But you know what, Yaz? I think you are. You ain't got a time machine or a sonic... but you're never afraid and you're never beaten. I'm going to sound like a... like a proper old man, but you're doing your family proud, Yaz, you really are. In fact, you're doing the whole human race proud. Sorry. I haven't offended you, have I?  
YASMIN: It's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me.  
GRAHAM: Oh.  
YASMIN: You're not such a bad human yourself either.  
GRAHAM: Not su...? Is that it? I've just said all them lovely things about you, and all you give me is, you're not such a bad human?  
YASMIN: Mate, I'm from Yorkshire. That's a love letter.**

That managed to surprise a few laughs out of people, it helped knowing that all three of the companions were here safe, so they had survived no matter how dangerous things got on screen. It was nice to see such a pure interaction though between the pair. It was a break from all the danger and tension that they desperately needed. Ryan just rolled his eyes at the pair.

**YEDLARMI: We're ready.  
GRAHAM: Oh, okay.**

**[CyberCarrier]**

**(Meanwhile...)  
CYBERGUARD: Leader, unit malfunction in deep storage vault Micron-Alpha.  
ASHAD: Show surveillance.  
CYBERGUARD: Surveillance unavailable, Leader.  
ASHAD: The humans.  
CYBERGUARD: Shall I activate a unit?  
ASHAD: No. They are mine.**

"They know that you're there." Clara said worried. Yaz and Graham offered her reassuring smiles, glad to see her care but not wanting her to overly worry (they hadn't missed some of the Doctor's worried glances at Bill and Clara throughout the video – it wasn't difficult to guess there was a history with the Cybermen there).

**[Citadel]**

**DOCTOR: Why would you give Gallifrey to the Cybermen?  
MASTER: You're about to have much bigger things to think about. I told you before that everything you knew was a lie. Well, now you get to face the truth, with me at your side.**

The group looked up at the mention of the truth, they were all desperate at this point to find out what secret had led to the Tardis bringing them together like this. None of them liked the idea of the Master being the one to reveal it to the Doctor (or being anywhere near the Doctor actually) but they couldn't deal with all the secrecy anymore.

The Doctor glared at the Master, furious at how much he enjoyed telling her, then the realisation of what was coming hit her again and she glanced away, staring determinedly at the screen - she didn't want to relieve the horror of the mess in the Matrix but it wasn't like she was going to get a choice. The only small silver lining was the chance to analyse the story, to see it again and not be so focused on everything else going on.

**DOCTOR: Do you really think I'm going to believe anything that comes out of your mouth?**

The Doctor shrunk down in her seat, taking her hand back from River and curling both her hands into fists. Her fury curled along her mental link to the Master, whipping at his end of the bond. It made him straighten up in his seat, curious about this strain of fury. It was a different level to her constant anger over the episode so far.

"Thinking about something dear?" The Master asked, trying to disguise his curiosity under an attitude of uncaring. The Doctor's head snapped to look at him, her eyes swirling with the fury he could steal feel lashing at his mind.

"Remembering the last time I trusted information you provided." The Doctor gritted out. The rest of the room were watching the exchange wearily, River kept moving a hand as if to grab the Doctor's hand again but always stopped short.

"I told you I was going to come back, but of course you don't believe-." The Master snarled, feeling his own fury rise, he'd thought they'd already had this argument about Missy leaving.

His building rant was stopped by the Doctor. "No." That froze him, his anger leaving his body all at once. Now he really was confused, he probably wasn't even hiding it from the rest of the room. The Doctor took a noticeably shuddering breath, knuckles turning white as her fists clenched and unclenched in repetition. "The coordinates, Master."

He couldn't ignore the shiver that made its way uninvited through this body at hearing her say his name, she didn't do it often but oh, how he loved to hear her say his name. Then the words caught up with him, the coordinates? Oh. His realisation must have been visible as she hissed out something that made no sense before looking back to the screen. His eyes remained glued to her; Missy hadn't hesitated in giving her those coordinates but he hadn't thought it would have made her so furious. It had been a small trick, his (her?) way of getting the last word. Clearly it had affected her much more than he thought it would have, he'd known she'd be angry but this level of fury? Maybe he didn't know her as well as he thought he did.

**MASTER: Do you remember this place, Doctor? Next to the Panopticon, the Chamber of the Matrix, the Repository of all Time Lord knowledge. A data bank of every Time Lord consciousness, living and dead. Every experience and every memory. The lived history of our race. I... I destroyed a lot of things, but not this trove of secrets. This is what started it all. I was just playing, hacking the system. I got lost in there. And then I found everything. Ah! Truth and reconciliation time, Doctor. Well, maybe not reconciliation. But time you saw the truth for yourself.**

"You've always loved hacking the Matrix, any chance you got." The Doctor said, deceptively calm. Unnerving the Master, when she was this calm – well there was a reason she was called the oncoming storm. "It never ended well for you, did it?" The Master refused to look at her for once, he knew she was trying to get a rise from him (and usually it worked) but his emotions were doing cartwheels and he didn't want her to see his turmoil.

**DOCTOR: What truth? Oh!  
(A column of glowing rings surrounds her.)  
MASTER: Paralysis field.**

"Doctor!" Rose cried out almost instinctively, jolting forward in her seat at seeing the Doctor in obvious pain. She hadn't been the only one, most of the room's inhabitants had startled forward or shifted in their seat as if they could enter the screen and help.

Yaz, Graham and Ryan couldn't help but feel a bit guilty. They knew they'd been in their own danger but it was still hard to see the Doctor in pain and trapped with the Master. It wasn't logical but feelings rarely were.

Seeing the Doctor trapped on screen seemed to be the last straw for Jack and River. Jack leapt up form his place on the sofa while River grabbed the Doctor and tucked her close to her side, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. Almost of planned, the Doctor was so distracted by River that she wasn't able to grab Jack before he made his way across the room. It happened quicker than anyone else in the room could realise, giving them no chance to stop him (not that they wanted too).

Jack prowled across the short distance to the Master's armchair and punched him hard in the face, causing the Master's head to snap to the side, a red mark already growing indicating the truly dramatic bruises that would grace his face in time. Jack snarled at him once, fist twitching as if he wanted to punch him again but an aborted noise from the Doctor (trying and failing to escape River's clutches) brought him back to reality. He took a deep grounding breath before making his way back to the Doctor's side. He looked far too proud of himself, as did River. With a jolt the Doctor realised they _had_ planned it, they had plenty of time during the last break and she'd seen them scheming away.

The Doctor managed to escape River's embrace finally, shifting to sit in the middle of the sofa, just not touching either of the other time travellers sharing it with her. She watched the Master bring a hand up to gently feel the sight of the punch, stretching his jaw to test the movement. He just raised an eyebrow at her, far too smug for having just been punched in the face. The Doctor managed to tear her eyes away from him to finally face Jack and River. (She was ignoring the rets of the room who were watching the group like it was a very interesting new drama, most of them looked far too happy to see the Master get socked across the face).

"Jack-." The Doctor started, not actually sure what she was going to say. On one hand she really couldn't condone his actions (and she didn't like the idea that River and Jack were clearly scheming together) but on the other she couldn't deny he'd kind of deserved it and she had pushed him in the Matrix so was she any better?

"No Doctor." Jack started expression determined. "He's had that coming for a long time, for so many reasons." Well, she couldn't exactly deny that either. She just frowned at the pair who seemed to find that satisfying another an answer.

**DOCTOR: Whatever you want with me, fine. But save my friends. Don't let the Cybermen take them. If the history between us means anything to you...  
MASTER: I do believe you're appealing to my better nature. And we both know I don't have one. I'm not going to help them, and neither are you. And the history between us does mean something. It's the rage and pain in my hearts. I'm sending you deep into the Matrix to understand the truth of Gallifrey and of the Time Lords. Brace yourself. This is going to hurt.**

"Did it hurt you?" Martha asked sharply, watching the Master who had been analysing the screen with a dark expression.

The Master starred at her blankly for a moment before letting out a hollow laugh (which sent shivers down the backs of most of the companions). "Everything to do with the Doctor always hurts. But I'd imagine you'd know that Martha Jones."

"Smith. Martha Smith. The Doctor shows us the best of the universe and sometimes the worst. Yes, it hurts at times but there's also joy and love, it's worth it in the end. But I'd imagine you'd know that Mr Saxon or you wouldn't continue to chase after her." Martha's answer was scathing and seemed to genuinely surprise the Master who just grimaced and glanced away from the rest of the room, pointedly not looking at the Doctor.

The Doctor in turn was ignoring him too, instead focussing on Martha, worried about how the Master's remarks had affected her. Mickey was squeezing her hand tightly in comfort but it didn't look like she needed it, she looked proud of herself, expression similar to Jack's when he had punched the Master. Maybe this was semi-therapeutic, the whole facing your demons thing that people always talk about (not that the Doctor wanted to face any of her demons, let alone the ones about to be shown on screen but as usual she didn't get a choice).

"Erm, what does he mean about 'sending you into the Matrix', like how and what?" Bill asked, hand raised as if she was still in school. She was far too curious and purposely ignoring the tenser atmosphere. A few other nodded along, happy someone had voiced the question that was on their minds.

The Doctor chewed on her lip for a minute debating how to answer the question. "The Matrix is complicated, technology far beyond Earth. It's a kind of supercomputer that allows simulations of environments and can predict future events. Like the Master said it also stores the consciousness of Time Lords when they die and each Tardis is connected to it so it has all the experiences of the Time Lords." She tried to explain, pausing to let that sink in before continuing. "When he says he is sending me in, he means he is connecting us to the Matrix through the Matrix Chamber that we are in, immersing us in the simulated reality, simulated memories almost. Think one of those VR headsets that are around in your time, but nothing like that."

That answer seemed to satisfy or confuse the group even more but either way no one asked anymore questions.

**[CyberCarrier deep storage vault]**

**(Ashad stomps along, then opens one of the pods. Our heroes are inside the Cybersuits. He opens another and gazes deep into the eye sockets.**

Both Bill and the Doctor flinched at seeing the tear fall down Yaz's cheek. Both muttering quietly to themselves, "Where there's tears, there's hope." The few people near them that heard glanced at them, curious and concerned but both shook them off. They didn't want to talk about it.

**There is a clang so he turns and opens another pod.)  
CYBERGUARD [OC]: Leader, we are on optimal proximity to Boundary. Boundary gateway is reopening.  
(Ashad storms out of the vault.)  
GRAHAM: We've got to get off this ship.  
(The CyberCarrier passes through the Boundary.)**

"That was far too close." Ryan muttered worried; he really hadn't known quite how close it had gotten. The rest of the group seemed to agree but were happy to see the plan was mostly working.

**[Matrix]**

**MASTER [OC]: Welcome, Doctor. Are you suffering comfortably?**

That comment drew a few angry twitches from the group but most were far too focused on the screen. This was it - they could feel it. All the secrets and questions were finally going to be answered, whatever the Tardis had brought them here to see they were about to see.

The Doctor glared at the screen, analysing every word. She'd been so focussed on the Master's plot and her friend's safety that she hadn't given the story the full analysis it had deserved. She'd spent plenty of time in her cell debating and investigating the story mentally but it was something else to hear and see the Master's delivery again.

The Master was also watching the screen but not as intensely as the rest of the room. He'd played the memories over and over when he'd first discovered them, he'd taken them apart and put them back together, not wanting to believe them. He was far more eager to see the Doctor's little pet's reactions and how she would deal with them. He periodically glanced back at the Doctor who looked like she wanted to set the screen on fire with her eyes, he couldn't deny how delighted he was to see that fury, it wasn't often he truly saw the depth of the Doctor's fury and it was normally a treat he savoured.

**Then I'll begin. Once upon a time... No. Once upon several times, before the Time Lords, before everything we know, there was an explorer. Her name was Tecteun, from a little-regarded, sparsely populated planet called Gallifrey.**

"Gallifrey?" Rory jolted not having realised he had spoken until he'd noticed the glances from the rest of the room. "I mean I know the secret was to do with Gallifrey but that long ago? Why is it relevant?"

The Doctor just sighed. "Please Rory, just watch - you'll understand soon. The Time Lords have always kept secrets about Gallifrey and the founding is full of holes in knowledge and myths, but this secret? I should have expected something like this. Just watch, please." The Doctor pleaded, she muttered most of it to herself giving the impression that she hadn't really intended for them to hear some of it.

**Tecteun was the first of Gallifrey's indigenous race, the Shobogans, to develop space travel.**

"Shobogans?" Rose asked. She hesitated when she realised that she'd asked the question when the Doctor had just asked for them to watch but didn't rescind her question, she was curious and wanted answers.

"The indigenous race, before there were Time Lords." The Doctor answered without taking her eyes off the screen, she kept shrinking further down in her seat, as if hoping the sofa would swallow her whole.

**Dangerous, unsophisticated space travel. She took risks to explore the worlds and galaxies beyond her home. And it was on one of these distant, deserted worlds on the far edge of another galaxy she found something... impossible. A gateway. A boundary into another unknown dimension or universe. Tecteun glimpsed the infinite through that gateway. And beneath the monument, she found... a child. Abandoned. Alone. Thrown through, seemingly, from the other unknown realm.**

"They abandoned a child!" Donna spat out, shocked and furious. It wasn't a question, not really but the Doctor just shrugged, face schooled carefully blank. River and Jack shared a worried glance, both reaching to take one of the Doctor's hand each in comfort, they were finally getting secrets but it was clearly hurting the Doctor. The Master was practically vibrating in his seat, smiling with far too much teeth – they were so close.

**Tecteun had a choice to make. Abandon or save the child? She chose to rescue the foundling and adopt this refugee from another realm as her own. Together they explored the universe. The child grew older, and finally Tecteun returned to Gallifrey with her new child. Like any parent, Tecteun wanted to understand her child.**

"That doesn't mean you experiment on them!" Clara protested, she'd worked at a school and knew first hand ho horrible some parents could be to their children. The rest of the room seemed to agree, they could understand the desire for answers but it was a kid.

**She searched for clues as to the child's identity. Where she might be from, what species she could be. But the child would not yield any secrets Tecteun could understand. The child remained a mystery, until playing with a friend, like any other child, there was an accident. A catastrophe...  
(The child falls off a cliff.)**

"Ireland." Martha breathed out; eyes wide as she connected some more dots glancing to the Doctor in worry. River and Jack seemed to have made the same connection, squeezing her hands tighter.

"The Timeless Child is Brendan? Brendan is a Time Lord? How is that Ireland?" Amy asked rapidly, looking more and more concerned as theories went through her head. Some things were making more sense but there were so many more questions.

"Just watch please." The Doctor's voice broke slightly as she pleaded making the group fall silent to let the video continue.

**MASTER [OC]: ..for Tecteun, for the child she'd saved, now lost to her. Or so she thought. The child regenerated. The first regeneration of any person on the planet of Gallifrey.**

"Regeneration. That's how you change your face isn't it?" Graham asked, concern clear in his eyes as he took in the Doctor's slumped posture. Both the Doctor and River nodded in answer.

"That's why you can regenerate? Because of a lost child from who knows where. That's the secret that is haunting both of you?" Clara asked, disbelief and annoyance battling in her tone. She'd been expecting so much worse from the way both the Master and the Doctor were acting (not that an abandoned child dying wasn't bad but she'd expected so much worse).

The Master and Doctor shared a long look, before they turned their dark eyes on Clara. "There's more." They answered in sync, emotions clouding their voices that she couldn't quite place. Their answer really wasn't reassuring to anyone in the room.

**(The CyberCarrier lands on top of the Citadel.)**

"Now that's just rude." Rose muttered; arms crossed. There was plenty of places to land that wasn't directly on top of the citadel.

**[Planet]**

**CYBERMAN: Boundary forcefield gateway now closed. There is no escape for humans.  
(An automatic weapon shoots down a Cyberman, then another.)  
KO SHARMUS: First trap's sprung. They fell for the old bio-dampener Decoy Human Signal trick. Textbook! Ha!  
(The Cybermen destroy the weapons.)  
KO SHARMUS: Thought they'd last longer than that.**

"They never do." Mickey bemoaned, glad for a break from the tension of the Matrix but still wanting answers like most of the room. It was reassuring to catch up on the companions and remaining humans, to find out how they escaped the danger.

**(Then they shoot at Ko Sharmus.)  
KO SHARMUS [OC]: All right, Ryan, they're on the march. You know what to do. We're relying on you.  
RYAN: Did I mention I've never been the greatest shot?**

"You can do it, son." Graham reassured Ryan, who smiled at him but answered back.

"You know it's already happened right?" Graham just shrugged, he hadn't been there at the time and was eager to see what had actually happened.

**KO SHARMUS [OC]: Now!  
(Ryan hefts a bleeping basket-ball sized device and eyes his target, then throws it between two batches of six Cybermen. KaBOOM.)  
RYAN: Whoa! I did it! In the hoop! Swish. KO SHARMUS: Great shot.  
RYAN: You come for humans, you come for me, Ryan Sinclair! We defeated the Cybermen. Well, me. Technically, it's me.**

"Well done Ryan. You finally got that shot." Yaz nudged him teasingly, grinning. "Maybe your next Basketball game will go better." Ryan just grinned back, still proud and very willing to ignore the teasing.

"Don't get too overconfident, eh." Graham nudged Ryan, still smiling though.

**(Er, behind you?)  
RYAN: Oh!  
KO SHARMUS [OC]: There are always more. Get inside now. Now!**

"He's right. There always is more." Rose complained, drawing agreeing nods from the rest of the room.

**[Citadel]**

**MASTER: Ah! Ah! Come in. Come in! No, don't... don't worry about her. She's fully under my control. Congratulations. You have managed something no other Cyberman ever achieved. Maybe... maybe even dreamed of! Gallifrey is yours. Offered as a gift, from an admiring Master. I know our races have been enemies. I lived through the Great Cyber War. I saw the atrocities perpetrated on your race. I want to help put that right.**

The room glared at the Master, for both the sympathy towards the Cybermen and the comment about the Doctor. No one was happy with the idea of the Master teaming up with the Cybermen. Bill and Clara were especially uncomfortable, shifting unconsciously in their seats. The Master's plans may rarely work the way he wanted but to didn't mean they didn't hurt anyone, both of them were primary examples. The Doctor shot both of them a worried look, she knew this video was likely to bring up bad memories for both of them. The pair just offered small reassuring smiles back to her, not wanting her to worry about them when she was dealing with her own mess.

**ASHAD: Why?  
MASTER: I fear we have a common interest.  
ASHAD: The new Cyber-army shall have one goal. The destruction of all organic life.**

"Personally, I don't like that goal." Bill declared. That was a bit of a difference from normal, usually the Cybermen were just trying to convert any humans they found not destroy all life.

**MASTER: Ah, so that's your thinking. But how are you going to manage that?  
ASHAD: The Death Particle. One Particle, when activated, capable of destroying all organic life.  
(And it is sitting in his chest.)  
MASTER: Very nice. Ooo. Did you make that?  
ASHAD: The Cyberium created it, through me.**

"That's why you shouldn't have let him have the Cyberium." Jack complained, half-jokingly, hoping to get a proper reaction of the Doctor.

"It wasn't like you gave me much information to work with! Plus, there wasn't much choice at the time, we dealt with it." The Doctor threw her hands in the air, glad for the distraction from her spiralling thoughts. Jack just grinned at her.

**MASTER: So you're the host for all Cyber knowledge and strategy. Oh. Interesting. Now, I hate to point out the flaw in your plan. Cybermen are part organic, but you more than most.  
ASHAD: My new Cyberwarriors are purged of organic components. We shall rise towards full automation, driven by the intelligence of the Cyberium. And when that work is done, I shall join my warriors and make the final ascension to full mechanisation.**

"So that's what they were doing with the Cybermen in the ship." Rory said, finally connecting the dots like most of the others in the room. It was nice to have some answers but the answers themselves were not nice.

**MASTER: Oh, you mean robots. You'll be robots.  
ASHAD: We shall be dominant.  
MASTER: But robots. Oof. I'm a bit disappointed. I see how you got there - an AI wanting to create more things in its own image - but it lacks vision. Right, what if we, er, workshop this? You know, kick it around a bit? I have notes.**

"First of all, I hate you. Like from what I have seen here and what the others have said you, I do not like you. And I hate how you are working with the Cybermen. But I do have to agree with you on the whole robot thing, kind of gets disappointing after a while." Amy declared, pointing at the Master who looked almost bewildered at the attention and declaration. Rory closed his eyes tightly, rubbing at his forehead as if to ward off a headache caused by his wife.

**ASHAD: You question the strategy of the Cyberium?  
MASTER: I do. I mean, it's good, but it's not great. There's loads of robots. Throw a stick in this universe, you'll hit a robot. I used to do that. Any idiot can make themselves into a robot. It's not special.  
(Ashad takes the Master by the throat.)**

"What is it with you two and being calm while having someone literally grab you by the neck?" Jack asked, he was starting to notice a pattern.

The pair shared a glance, before turning to Jack and answering in sync. "Experience."

**MASTER: But if you want to be the dominant force in the universe, I can facilitate that.  
(Ashad releases him.)  
ASHAD: Explain.  
MASTER: How fast are the conversion processes on your ship?  
ASHAD: They have been restored to optimal efficiency.  
MASTER: Good. Good, good. Good. Good! Cos I burned the Citadel, but if I have one weakness, it's that I am a bit of a hoarder. Let me show you. She's waking up in that Matrix. But don't worry, my consciousness can deal with her. I'm that good, I can be in two places at once.**

The Doctor grimaced realising what the Master meant by being a hoarder, that was where he'd gotten the bodies for his hybrid Time Lord-Cybermen creations. No one else in the room was aware of them yet and so had no idea what the Master had meant but none were very pleased about the reminder that he'd destroyed Gallifrey, the fact that he was helping the Cybermen or the Doctor being trapped in the Matrix.

**[Matrix]**

**MASTER: Now, having seen her adopted child regenerate her body, Tecteun, a scientist and explorer, had a new landscape to explore. She dedicated her life to studying her child. Detailed every fragment of genetic material.**

"She experimented on the child!" Now Donna really was furious, face almost the same colour as her hair. The rest of the room seemed equally emotional.

"That's the secret? The fact that you can regenerate because a lost child was tortured and experimented on?!" Clara asked, eyes wide in shock. God, just when she thought Gallifrey couldn't get any worse she was proven wrong.

"Please tell me you didn't know that Doctor! Tell me you didn't know what your home was built upon." Rose pleaded; eyes furious.

The Master and Doctor shared a glance (which they seemed to be doing a lot). The Master raised an eyebrow to match his questioning smirk; the question was clear – was she going to tell them or let him (in the video). She turned away from him and back to Rose who had watched the exchange, expression darkening.

"No, neither of us knew anything. The myths of Gallifrey's creation were always built around three beings – Rassilon, Omega and the Other. The stories say that the three are responsible for discovering the technology for time travel but not much else is really known, especially about the Other. Gallifrey's founding has always been surrounded in mystery. Please just watch, there's still more." The Doctor explained to the group, who reluctantly took the explanation.

River had paled dramatically as the video had continued, seeing another child have their 'mother' hurt them was bringing up memories she'd long since buried, her own childhood of pain and expectations. The fact that she was able to regenerate because a child had been hurt, experimented on, caused a terrible ache in the pit of her stomach. It was made worse by the fact that the Master was still speaking – there was clearly more to the story and she wasn't going to like it.

**It took her years. Several of the child's regenerations. Tecteun grew older. Her desire to understand became an obsession. She worked tirelessly, endlessly, furiously.**

The room was watching, eyes wide in horror at seeing a child tortured and experimented over and over, being killed over and over, who knows how many times. But no one made any noise, unsure what to say to express any of their emotions. The Doctor was just analysing the screen, feeling oddly detached from the whole affair – it still hadn't really settled in her head that the child in the video was her (according to the Master – he'd lied on several occasions but this was something else for him to lie about and she knew he wouldn't be that messed up if it wasn't true and she couldn't deny that it did explain a few things).

Jack wasn't taking the video well. If anyone knew the pain of death it was him, add in that the child had to regenerate every time – a clearly painful process from what the Doctor had told him over the years. The whole video was making him sick to the stomach in a way he rarely felt and he could tell there was still more to come.

**She had to crack this code to understand regeneration. And finally, she did. And to prove herself right, she took the ultimate risk. Tested the theory on herself. Put her own life on the line. Spliced into herself the genetic ability to regenerate.**

Martha let lose an almost hollow, cynical laugh. "Oh, so she will torture and kill a child repetitively but won't test the theory on someone else in case it goes wrong."

"'I'm sure it's purely selfish, after all she spent all this time on the experiment shouldn't she get to benefit from it first?" Amy added, voice hard in anger and full of cynical sarcasm at the end. The Doctor had the sudden realisation that Amy really wasn't going to take the truth well – her own daughter had been taken away and hurt, had given up her regenerations to save the Doctor's life and she was about to be told that the Doctor likely would have been able to regenerate herself anyway.

Both their husbands looked at them worried, offering comfort in their own ways. No one in the room was happy about what they were seeing, to say they were furious would be an understatement. They had all heard how the Doctor talked about Gallifrey, and how much she didn't speak about it. Clearly there were good reasons for her running away, if her people were like this – willing to experiment and torture a child (not that any of them thought humans weren't capable of that or any race in fact but they were focused on the story at the minute).

**I didn't know any of this. Did you know any of this? Nearly there.**

"There's more?" No one was sure who said what they were all thinking.

**The planet of Gallifrey evolved. Shobogans grew in knowledge and ability. They built themselves the Citadel. They discovered the ability to travel through Time as well as space. With Tecteun, they became a self-appointed ruling elite. And Tecteun proposed that they gene-splice the ability to regenerate into future generations of Citadel dwellers. It would become the genetic inheritance of them and their descendants. But he would restrict the regenerative process to a maximum of twelve times.**

"What regeneration are you both on?" Bill asked the Master and the Doctor, curious and nervous for the answer. How many times had they benefitted from a child being tortured?

The pair shared a glance which spoke volumes to the rest of the room. Not that any of the were aware of the last part of the story, although the suspicion was sneaking into the minds of several people in the room. It was the Doctor who answered, not trusting the Master. "We don't really know. More than 12 certainly, but an exact number? I don't know." She frowned; she really didn't know. As far as her memories told her she'd had 14 faces but did the metacrisis Doctor count as a regeneration? She also didn't know what regeneration the Master was on - he'd spent time hoping bodies did that count?

The rest of the room frowned unhappy about that, not liking the lack of answers and the glances the pair kept exchanging. But they let the video continue, not quite sure what to say.

**The timeless child became the base genetic code for all Gallifreyans within the Citadel. The civilisation which renamed themselves, with characteristic pomposity, Time Lords. The foundling had become the founder. The rest, as they say, is history.**

"What about Ireland? And what happened to the child?" Clara asked almost frantic, there was still so many questions that the video hadn't answered, questions the room were desperate to know.

"Just watch Clara, please." The Doctor sighed, dreading the next few minutes that she knew were coming. Lara opened her mouth to complain or say something else but a look from the Doctor silenced her.

**DOCTOR: What happened to the child?  
(The Master laughs.)  
DOCTOR: What? What's so funny? What happened to the child?**

Jack, River and Martha had finally connected the dots, staring at the screen in renewed horror before glancing at the Doctor who was determinedly glaring at the floor. The Master's reaction to her question had solidified their theory but they were desperate for it to be wrong. After all it was one thing to know a child had been tortured and killed repetitively but for it to be your friend, your family that had suffered? That was a whole other matter.

**MASTER: Oh Doctor, really? Haven't you worked this out yet? The child is you. You are the timeless child.**

The Master's words on screen drew gasps of shock and horror from the rest of the room, while the few that had already worked it out just looked down upset to have their fears confirmed. The Master was basking in the room's reactions while the Doctor remained glaring at the floor, not wanting to see her friend's faces.

"Doctor-." Yaz's voice broke as she uttered the word, unsure what to actually say. What do you say to someone that has just had their whole life turned upside down? Yaz, Graham and Ryan were all stuck thinking about how the Doctor had been acting the last time they had seen her, how had she managed to deal with this and still try and save the day?

"That's why we're here, isn't it?" River asked, not continuing until the Doctor looked up at her (but she still refused to meet her eyes). "The secret the Tardis brought us here to see. The Timeless Child, an unknown child tortured and experimented by someone who should have cared for her. And that child was you."

"Apparently." The Doctor managed to croak out in answer, not really sure what to say, she was sp focused on the pain in River's expression. Pain that she rarely saw, showing how much this was affecting her wife.

"How many times were you forced to regenerate?" Martha whispered, horror and dread clear in her voice.

"I don't know." The Doctor answered, sharper than she intended. It hurt, that she didn't know, it could have been so many – the video showed several and that was only until Tecteun found the formula. What about after? How many before Ruth? After Ruth? She didn't even have a rough idea.

"How are you doing with that knowledge?" Clara asked gently, eyes wide and watering. She'd been to Gallifrey and seen how they had all acted, it was no wonder the Doctor had run away all that time ago.

"Fine. I'm fine. Can we please not talk about this now? The video isn't finished yet." The Doctor decided, tone laced with anger and far harsher than she had intended it to be but she really didn't want to speak about this.

"You're never fine Doctor. Least of all know." Jack answered, his own voice heavy with a mix of emotions she couldn't quite decipher. "We'll let it go for now because you're right there is still more to see. But we are talking about this later. No matter how much you don't want to. Understand?"

The Doctor nodded but that didn't satisfy Jack who asked again until she verbally answered in the positive. She was already planning ways to escape that conversation.

**DOCTOR: No. No, I'm not.  
MASTER: You always have been.  
DOCTOR: I can't be.**

**[Planet - tents]**

**KO SHARMUS: Come on, come on. Hurry, hurry!  
ETHAN: This place is like a maze.  
KO SHARMUS: I made it that way, in case of an eventuality like this.**

"Smart. Stops anyone but you knowing how to navigate it." Mickey nodded impressed. The group was thankful for the chance for a break, it gave them a way to relieve some of the tension that had gripped the room. Plus, they were all still eager to know how the current companions had escaped the Cybermen.

**RYAN: Hey, you never think of doors? Big lockable doors. Indestructible doors.  
KO SHARMUS: Dream of them every night. But I had to work with what I had. Now...**

"I don't think door would keep the Cybermen out much longer." Rose pointed out. Ryan just shrugged it would be better than fabric tents. Almost _anything_ would be a better defence than fabric tents.

**(He gives them guns.)  
KO SHARMUS: Hide well. Take what shots you can. Kill them before they kill you. Go!  
CYBERMAN: Three human life forms detected.  
(Ko Sharmus taps one on the back.)  
KO SHARMUS: Hello.  
(And kills it.)  
KO SHARMUS: Too many of them.**

"There always is." The Doctor muttered darkly. She'd been watching the screen anxious to know how they had all escaped and found their way to the Matrix Chamber.

**(Ethan's hiding place is found.)  
CYBERMAN: One human located.  
ETHAN: No! No.  
CYBERMAN: All humans will be executed.**

"Oh no." No one wanted to see any of the remaining humans die, especially after all they had escaped.

**(Ryan gets one. Then he and Ko Sharmus nearly shoot each other.)  
RYAN: Oh! Oh, my days.  
KO SHARMUS: Oh, my saints.  
BOTH: Where's Ethan?  
CYBERMAN [OC]: Attention, remaining humans. We have your friend. You have ten seconds to surrender or he will be executed.**

"Ten seconds! Seriously at least give them a chance." Donna protested, watching the screen worriedly like the rest of the room. No one told her the obvious fact that the Cybermen didn't want to give them a chance and instead wanted them all dead.

**ETHAN: Don't come for me. Argh!  
CYBERMAN: Ten, nine.  
RO SHARMUS: He's two pathways away. This way.  
RYAN: Hey! We're coming! We surrender! Stop!  
CYBERMAN: Five, four.  
RYAN: I said we surrender!  
CYBERMAN: Three.  
RO SHARMUS: We surrender!  
CYBERMAN: Two, one.  
RYAN: No!**

"Oh god."

**(Weapons fire. Ro Sharmus and Ryan burst in to see four Cybermen standing over the bodies of two others, and Ethan unharmed.)  
RYAN: I don't understand.  
(A Cyberman removes her helmet.)  
YASMIN: How about now?**

"Go Yaz!" Bill cheered, happy to see a friendly face.

**GRAHAM: Er, Yaz, I can't... can't get this hat off.**

The room let lose a few cheers, happy to see both Ethan safe and the group all reunited (bar the Doctor). There were also a few chuckles at Graham's comment but they were all very glad to see his plan had worked and they had escaped.

**[CyberCarrier deep storage vault]**

**MASTER: Wow. Wow. Wow, wow, wow, wow! Ah! You have got a lot of these. A whole Cybercarrier worth. Perfect. So, what's your plan now?  
ASHAD: The Cyberium will process and dictate the strategy.  
MASTER: The Cyberium. I've heard a lot about that over the millennia. The heart of all your power. The centre of all Cyber knowledge. Oh, come on, Cyberium, show us some leg. What do you actually look like, hmm?**

"You'd heard of it?" The Doctor asked the Master. She hadn't heard of it and she'd dealt with the Cybermen far more often than he had.

"Of course, dear. It had the potential to be a very powerful assistance in my plans." The Master smirked, preening at her attention and the fact he had known about it while she hadn't. He loved being several steps ahead of her and that rarely happened these days, or well, not for long usually.

The Doctor snorted. "I should have known, you always liked to find the most powerful artifacts and weapons. And you've had a thing for the Cybermen recently. Not that either has ever served you well." That took the smirk off the Master's face, to the Doctor's enjoyment.

**ASHAD: It will not leave me while I live.**

"Don't give him any ideas." Martha huffed; arms crossed. She didn't like the Cybermen but she also really didn't like the Master. There was no winning in this situation.

**MASTER: Oh. Okay.  
(The Master walks away, then turns and shrinks Ashad. The silver liquid expands and floats in the air.)**

"That's just wrong." Bill said, cringing at the sight of the liquid-y thing. Others on the room seemed to agree with her based on their expressions.

"Kinda abstract." Rory muttered drawing some weird looks from the group while Amy chuckled at her husband.

**MASTER: Well, aren't you pretty? And fast. You made your exit very swiftly there. Worried, were you? I thought if he was compressed, the Death Particle would activate and all this would be over. I would've been okay with that. I thought it was a nice little gamble. But no, gere we are, all still alive.**

The Master's comment hit the Doctor suddenly like a hammer. This whole time he'd been okay with dying, had wanting to die. It was such a startling reversal from his normal plan of living at all costs. The realisation overpowered the last of her common sense and she opened up the mental link fully, it had been lying almost dormant between the pair since their last conversation, almost waiting.

" _Did Gallifrey's foundation hurt you so much that you want to die? You've always put survival above anything else but all you've done recently is try to die."_ The Doctor sent a package of feelings amounting to curiosity-concern-questioning-fear-confusion across with her words.

The Master jolted slightly in his seat, unseen to anyone but her (as she'd been the only one looking for it). He hadn't been expecting her to open the link fully again anytime soon. _"Worried, dear? I know the whole dying thing is usually your thing but I'd thought I'd give it a try."_

His response annoyed her, leaving her unsure what to say until it was too late and the video continued. She realised that seemed to be what he had wanted.

**And one miniaturised Death Particle still in him, waiting for its moment for its chamber to be smashed open. Oh, shoot. I should've said, somebody needs to cut you down to size, then zapped you. I was just trigger-happy. I'll use it next time.**

"There better not be a next time." The Doctor reprimanded the Master, she wasn't happy to see him kill Ashad but it had left her one less thing to deal with. The Master just sent a pulse of smugness across their bond, there would always be a next time.

**Sit there for a mo. Oh, sorry, were you close? Candidly, I think you can do better. I request an alliance. I deserve to be your business partner because I have performed well in all tasks. I ransacked the Matrix of the Time Lords, distilled all the knowledge, all the experiences, all the discoveries, into these brains up here. All the Cyber knowledge, all the Time Lord knowledge. Put it together, what do you get? Absolute supremacy in the universe. Choose me.  
(The Cyberium enters the Master.)  
MASTER: Wow, that was quick. Wa-ha-ha! Whoa! Woohoo! At least buy me... dinner!**

The Doctor frowned at seeing the Cyberium enter the Master, she knew first-hand how painful it was. Ryan, Grahm and Yaz seemed to make the same connection. "God Doc, it must have really hurt you when you took it from Shelley then." Graham said, not really expecting an answer, he was sure he already knew anyway.

The Doctor just grimaced, shrugging. It wasn't the worst thing she'd felt but it wasn't the nicest bar a long stretch. Graham's words had caught the attention of the rest of the room though.

"You had it in you?" Amy asked, curious more than anything.

The Doctor nodded, purposely ignoring the way the Master's head had snapped to her when he'd heard she'd had it before him. "It was the only way to keep it from Ashad at the time but the only option was to give it to him in the end." The explanation drew nods from the rest of the room, glad for a bit more of the story.

**[Matrix]**

**MASTER: This is no time to be sleeping. Is it hurting, Doctor? I hope it's hurting, because it really hurt me.**

"It hurt you?! How did it hurt you? The only person that gets to be hurt by this is the Doctor!" Martha practically shouted at the Master. She had reached her limit with the Master hurting the Doctor in the video, using the knowledge he'd learnt to hurt her.

Her shouts angered the Master and he stood from his chair, knuckles turning white as he clenched his fists and hissed his answer. "Because Mrs Jones. It means that my life is also a lie. It means everything I am is because of her. It means my people only exist because we tortured a child. It means what I am is because of the Doctor's pain. That they tortured the Doctor!" His eyes widened as he realised what he had let slip in his anger, collapsing back in his chair like a puppet whose strings had been cut. He was breathing heavily, breaths easily heard in the silence of the room.

No one knew what to say to that and the Master snarled at anyone who made a move to open their mouth so they let the video continue reluctantly.

**DOCTOR: It's all lies. None of this is the truth.  
MASTER: For the first time in my lives, I can honestly say every word is true.  
DOCTOR: I know my life. I know... I know who I am.  
MASTER: No, you don't. You never have. Your life has been hidden from you. Our founding parents wanted a noble creation myth for the Time Lords. Born To Rule.  
DOCTOR: I remember my home. I remember growing up. I remember you and me at the Academy together.  
MASTER: That happened. It just wasn't your first life.**

"How many lives have you had?" River asked her wife, eyes sad. She knew more than most what the Doctor had gone through in her life and to know that there were lives that the Doctor didn't know? Made the ache in her chest all the more apparent.

"I don't know. I … I don't know anything." The Doctor whispered, voice breaking. River pulled her close, putting her chin on the Doctor's head and letting her hide her face for a while. She didn't see the sad looks from Clara and Bill who had preached the importance of memories to the Doctor before, or the understanding ones from Donna and Jack who knew the pain of missing memories all to clearly but their missing memories were limited. Who knows how many lives the Doctor was missing?

**DOCTOR: Why would they lie? Why would they do that?**

The group watched the interaction between the pair on screen in mounting horror. It was rare to see the Doctor so off-kilter and she certainly was not coping well with everything there. None of them could resist shooting her concerned looks which she ignored in favour of focusing on the screen. She couldn't cope with their concern and pity, she just wanted it all to be over.

**MASTER: I wish it wasn't true, but it is. You know what I find the most infuriating? You always behaved like you were different, like you were... like you were special. And you were. You can see... you can see why I'm angry. A little piece of you is in me. All I am is somehow because of you, and believe me when I say, I cannot bear that.**

"I acted like I was special?" The Doctor laughed, a horrible cynical grating sound. Glaring at the Master, she hadn't had the opportunity to dispute anything he said at the time. But she had plenty now. "What about how _you_ acted? Little Koschei, always the perfect little time-lord to be."

She hadn't realised what she'd said, to caught up in the emotion of it all, stuck in old memories of their shared childhood. It was the silence of the room that let her know something was wrong, her head whipped around the room trying to see why no one was saying anything at all. Seeing them all glance between her and the Master, eyes wide, made her go back over what she'd said until she realised. Her own eyes widened, hands going up to cover her mouth.

"Well done, Theta." The Master's voice revealed his fury. "You couldn't do anything right and everyone knew it. One us had to be perfect and you clearly weren't going to even try." His words were calculated even in his emotional state, he'd learnt his lesson.

They had a stare off, expressions dark but neither willing to back off. They never discussed their shared childhood amongst others and rarely discussed it full stop. There were so many conflicting emotions surrounding both their memories, so much pain in the past.

It was Amy that interrupted their staring contest. "Koschei? Theta?" Her questions drew the attention of both Time Lords, or rather the Time Lord and the Timeless Child. The Master shuffled back in his seat, attitude still dark and unapproachable while the Doctor lightened slightly, facing Amy. This mess was her fault and they were her friends so she would be the one to deal with it.

She sighed, mostly to give her time to decide what to say. "The nicknames I mentioned before. The names we use as children before we choose our own officially." She waved a hand vaguely at a glaring Master. "He was Koschei from the House of Oakdown. I was Theta Sigma from the House of Lungbarrow." She looked around the group, meeting everyone's eyes one at a time. "Please don't call us by them. It has been a very long time and neither of us are those kids anymore." She received nods from her companions but she knew she'd have to deal with it again likely.

**DOCTOR: Show me the rest.  
MASTER: I'm not sure you can cope with much...  
DOCTOR: Show me the rest! I have a right to know my own life.**

"Doctor-." Jack started slowly, tone suggesting he was dealing with a feral animal. It was rare to see the Doctor lose control like that and even rarer to see her resort to physical violence like she had on screen.

"Not now Jack." The Doctor brushed it off, focus completely on the screen. He couldn't talk when he had just punched the Master earlier, she was allowed to be a bit unhinged.

**MASTER: All right. But I'm not sure it's going to make you happy.**

"You're doing this whole thing to hurt me. Why would you care about this making me unhappy?" The Doctor shot at the Master, arms crossed. "Or did you just want to see me beg?"

"I showed you so that you would hurt as much as I do." The Master hissed back.

"No, you showed her because you wanted her to know the truth of her past." Clara said, eyes wide like she'd suddenly come to a realisation. "You showed her because you still acre about her. That's why no matter what happens you still chase after her, you don't veer permanently kill her."

The Master glared at Clara, snarling. "What do _you_ think you know?!"

"Why did you destroy Gallifrey?" Bill asked, seemingly coming to the same realisation as Clara, sharing a quick glance at Clara. Both of them had known Missy, had seen the relationship between Missy and the Doctor.

"Because they deserved to die for lying to me!" He snapped, looking frighteningly like a cornered animal. Clara and Bill were onto something.

"Maybe that was part of it but there's more to it." Clara shook her head, staring the Master down.

The weight of the room's eyes and the heightened tension caused him to snap. "I burnt Gallifrey to askes because they hurt her! Because they were all guilty! … We're all guilty." His expression could only be described as broken. The Doctor was chocked up, completely unsure what to say for a rare moment in her life. His words, his guilt would explain his desire to die. He's always hated when anyone else really hurt her, he was a possessive idiot in that way and would have seen Gallifrey's lies as a betrayal. It would explain the change from Missy to this mad, unhinged regeneration to some degree. She looked at him, taking in al the little details, unsure what she was actually looking for. He refused to meet her eyes, huddles up in his chair like a broken child.

**SOLPADO: The policy of the Time Lords is clear. strict non-intervention in other worlds and times. However, policy and reality sometimes diverge. There are times when it is necessary to intervene. That is the purpose of The Division. The tests we set you. These results are the best I've ever seen.  
DOCTOR: Those images. Ireland. I've seen them in my head. What are they?  
MASTER: Shhh. She's talking.  
SOLPADO: The Division does not exist. The Division does not have operatives. We are not even here. Do you understand? I propose...  
(The scene vanishes.)**

"What happened?" Rose asked, confused by the sudden stop. The other seemed to share her feelings but the Doctor just shook her head and waved to the screen.

**DOCTOR: What have you done?  
MASTER: Not me. That was done long before I got here. Everything from here is redacted, blocked out, all but erased. There was something here. A lot of stuff, seemingly, but now it all just looks like this. I've tried everything, everything, to decode it, but it's... it's unrecoverable, beyond even my brilliance. And it's not often I say that.**

"They erased your life." Donna muttered, reaching a hand to her own head. The Doctor flinched, both at the reminder of what she had done to Donna and what had happened in the Matrix.

**DOCTOR: But it's my life.  
MASTER: Yeah.  
DOCTOR: How much was lost?  
MASTER: Impossible to tell. It took up a lot of space in the Matrix, though. Yeah. There is one final trace. Those glitches of Ireland you keep seeing. Those images, they were buried deep in the Matrix. Tecteun put a visual filter over it so that no one who watched it would find it remarkable. I transmitted them into your mind as you tracked the Cybermen. Maybe this is the last gift of a parent. A clue. Or an apology. You can decide. Did Tecteun leave these images for you to decode one day?**

"Why would she do that? Why leave a small section of memories for the child you tortured but not anything else?" Martha shook her head, just when they got some answers they were left with more questions. No one had any answers for her.

**[Garda]**

**PATRICK: We have to get rid of everything, I'm afraid.**

"How many times did they erase your memories? How many lives do you not remember?" Clara asked, verging on desperate, she usually preached how important memories were and now it was shown that the Doctor was lacking so many.

"I don't know." The Doctor was getting sick of saying that. She was getting sick of remembering that. She hated not knowing something.

**SERGEANT: Thank you for your service. We're sorry you won't remember it.  
(Brendan screams. The Doctor looks at the inscription on the carriage clock - For Services To The Division.)  
MASTER [OC]: What did they do to you, Doctor? How many lives have you had?**

"Ruth!" Rory announced out of the blue drawing the attention of the rest of the room. "I mean, she was you and that other Time Lord – Gat – mentioned the Division." He tried to explain, fumbling through the words a bit.

"So, Ruth was one of your past regenerations that you don't remember. You escaped for a while but must have gotten dragged back at some point." Amy added to her husband's argument. The chuckled slightly. "Clearly running away is a very old habit of yours."

The room nodded along - the theory sounded good. It explained a few things but not much. No one was comfortable with what had happened to the Doctor but none knew what to say or how to help her. They were dancing around the real issue and they all knew it but they didn't know what else they could do.

**[Citadel]**

**MASTER: Wake up. I know you're broken, but it's all over now.  
DOCTOR: What do you mean?**

"What did you expect? For her to just lie there and let you destroy everything? She's the Doctor!" Jack snarled at the Master who glared back unflinching. He didn't have to explain himself to freaks.

**MASTER: When I said I killed everyone here... I did keep the bodies, just... just cold enough in case they'd be useful. I thought... I thought maybe some good can come out of all of this. Your adopted mother isn't the only one who can experiment. I mean, what if... a new race could be created? Huh? Time Lord organics with the ability to regenerate and self-repair in Cyber armour. Invincible! A perfect army, right? Right? Oh, come in, my pretties.  
(Cybermen wearing Time Lord collar style helmets and cloaks enter.)**

"You're a monster." Martha declared, glaring fiercely at the Master. The idea of a mix of Time Lords and Cybermen was a horrifying thought, both races were dangerous enough on their own.

"I see myself more as Frankenstein." The Master smirked, all teeth, at Martha. He was proud of his experiment and it was a very good distraction from all the secrets he had revealed, ones he had never intended to leave his mind ever.

"That's what I said."

**MASTER: Yeah! Doosh, doosh, doosh. Line up. Attention! Yeah, that's it. Well, let's test it out. Shoot him. Shoot him!  
(The indicated Cyberman shoots the other one.)**

"Completely unhinged." Bill muttered to herself. This Master was a stark difference from Missy. Both were terrifying but in different ways.

**MASTER: Good dog! All dead. Er... wait. Could it be?  
(The fallen Cyberman regenerates.)**

The room watched in mounting horror, seeing the Cyberman regenerate was terrifying. A perversion of Tecteun's own experiments. Bill, Clara, Rose and Mickey, being the ones who had dealt with the Cybermen the most, seemed especially terrified. All were stuck thinking about what devastation they could cause if they left Gallifrey.

Graham, Yaz and Ryan shared a glance, they hadn't seen the CyberMasters much and were very thankful for that. They were also thankful that they had been destroyed completely.

**MASTER: Yes, it could! Behold your new CyberMasters, Doctor. All born from you, but led by me. How does that feel? Huh? Now, no time to lose. Don't move. Oh, that's right, you can't. Can you feel a new era dawning, Doctor? For Gallifrey.  
CYBERMEN: For Gallifrey!  
MASTER: For the Time Lords.  
CYBERMEN: For the Time Lords!  
MASTER: For the end of the universe itself!  
CYBERMEN: For the end of the universe itself!  
MASTER: Sweet dreams. This way, soldiers.**

The companions were getting increasingly worried at seeing the unveiling of the Master's plan. The Doctor wasn't in any state to deal with him and the rest of the group were still dealing with the other Cybermen. How had they managed to escape?

**[Planet]**

**RAVIO: The Boundary, it's real.  
RYAN: Yeah, and the Doctor's on the other side.  
RAVIO: So, how do we do this?  
KO SHARMUS: The Boundary will absorb us, but you have to take the step.  
GRAHAM: Step into the unknown. Who fancies going first?  
(Yasmin walks forward.)**

"Brave as ever Yaz." Graham nudged her, while Ryan grinned on her other side. She just rolled her eyes at the pair, desperately hoping the rising heat in her cheek's wasn't visible, she'd just been so worried about the Doctor she hadn't cared about the risk.

**YASMIN: Ah!**

**[Gallifrey]**

**(Followed by Ko Shamus and the others.)  
YASMIN: This is Gallifrey. This is where The Doctor's from.  
GRAHAM: We're never going to find her in this lot.  
YASMIN: Yeah, we are. We're going to find her and we're going to rescue her. She's done it for us enough times, now it's our turn. This is going to be even more dangerous from here. You don't have to come.  
RAVIO: We owe you. We're in. Right?  
ETHAN: Right.  
YEDLARMI: Great. How am I meant to contradict that if you're going all heroic?  
RYAN: You coming?  
KO SHARMUS: I've already lived longer than I expected. There must be a few last things I can blow up before I'm done.**

"Like his attitude. And your confidence Yaz." Jack nodded, smiling. The Doctor had a chance if her friends were coming to rescue her. The rest of the group grinned at the current companions, glad to see them off to rescue the Doctor.

**[Matrix]**

**DOCTOR: Oh, great. What are you doing here? Or are you the Matrix playing more games with me?  
RUTH: Don't ask me, I'm as lost as you are in here. Maybe you just summoned me.**

"Ruth? But isn't she you? What's going on Doctor?" Rose asked, voicing the thoughts of many in the room. Even the Master had perked up in his seat, he didn't know how she had escaped from the Matrix and, although he would never admit it, he was curious to see how.

**DOCTOR: Where do you fit into all this? Were you me all that time ago? Were all my memories of you erased? Did they force me back into becoming a child? How many more of me are out there?  
RUTH: I don't have those answers. But say I did, would they even help?  
DOCTOR: Of course they would. All this, it means I'm not who I thought I was.**

"I deserve to know my past." The Doctor whispered to herself. She'd agreed with Ruth at the time because they were in trouble and had limited time to stop the Master but it didn't mean she didn't want; no _deserve_ to know who she had been. Just because it wouldn't change her didn't mean she didn't want to know.

Clara flinched slightly in her seat. She had only just heard the words but it rung far too close to what she had said to the Doctor after escaping Gallifrey. He'd been trying to protect her, maybe not in the right way, but he'd done everything to protect her but, in the end, he'd ended up with more missing memories. She couldn't help but feel a bit guilty about that even knowing there hadn't been much other choice.

Donna hadn't heard the Doctor but was still thinking about their conversation before the last video, the Doctor had hinted towards this but she hadn't expected memory loss to this extent. She knew first hand what missing memories did to a person, even just a few years and here the Doctor was potentially missing lives worth of memories. It made her still burning anger over her taking away her memories cool slightly.

Jack reached out to squeeze the Doctor's hand. He had heard what she said and understood it well. He'd become a conman and left the Time Agency because they'd stolen two years of his memories. She had mentioned they were more similar than he thought earlier. Abd they were, both missing memories – taken by people they had worked for. Both time travellers far older than they should be. Both desperately trying to be good even when it wasn't possible to be good. Both hurt and tortured and killed over and over. Both knowing the pain of dying was never as bad as seeing people they cared about dying.

**RUTH: Because your memories aren't compatible with what you learnt today.  
DOCTOR: Yes.  
RUTH: Have you ever been limited by who you were before?  
DOCTOR: Ah. Now, that does sound like me talking. I'm so tired. The Matrix is sapping all the energy of out of me.  
RUTH: No time to be tired. Still work to do out there. Lives at stake. Armies being born. People need the Doctor.**

"That does sound like you Doctor. You've just been told life changing news literally and you're still focused on trying to save the day." Amy shook her head, fond exasperation clear in her voice. The Doctor just shrugged; it wasn't like she had many other options.

**DOCTOR: I don't know how to stop The Master.**

The Master grinned smugly at her which she quickly ignored.

**RUTH: Course you do. That one question that's nagging at you, the one thing he said that you didn't understand.  
DOCTOR: The one thing who said? The Master?  
RUTH: No. Get out of here. I know this place has blown your mind. Maybe you should return the compliment.  
(Ruth vanishes.)**

"Well, that's just cryptic. Like if you're going to offer advice at least be clear instead of talking in riddles." Bill complained, gaining groans and chuckles in agreement.  
 **  
DOCTOR: No, wait. Are you still there? Of course she's still there. If you were me, you're buried within me, buried within... Too many thoughts. All right, first things first, what did she say? Mind blown. Yes! Of course! All this history, all these lies, it's too much stimulus. It might work. I've fought the Matrix before, denied its reality, I can do it again.**

"You have?" Clara asked, eyebrows raised in question.

The Doctor just smiled. "Long story, maybe another time." Clara rolled her eyes at the answer but knew she wouldn't get anymore information out of the Doctor at the minute so let it go so the video could continue.

**Maybe. Well, you know what they say, Doctor, nothing ventured, nothing blown. Oh! I'm talking to myself again. That's a good sign. Thanks, Doctor. Still here. No, shut up, I need to concentrate. Er... All right. Have a blast of this, Matrix.  
(Massive sequence of images going backwards through all the established Doctors and then a bit more. The paralysis field explodes.)**

The group watched eagerly, trying to take in the glimpses of all the past Doctors and the memories flashing across the screen. The Master just watched the screen, expression blank, he was stuck in his own spiral of memories at seeing all the past Doctors. The people that appeared in the flashes were oddly pleased, happy to have been included in the memories the Doctor used to escape. They were glad to know she still thought about them, even after all this time.

**[Citadel]**

**YASMIN: Doctor!  
GRAHAM: Yaz, is she all right?**

"Good, you've found the idiot." Donna declared decisively. They'd all been worried at seeing her lying on the ground unmoving, the Doctor was rarely ever still and it was unnerving.

**RYAN: Doctor? Doctor, we're here for you.  
DOCTOR: My fam.  
KO SHAMUS: She's not dead, then.  
DOCTOR: Who are they? Are we having a party? Oh. All those memories. The Matrix. The memories blew the Matrix. Oh, she's clever. I'm clever. We're all clever. All of us. However many that is. All right, then. Off we go. Oh. No, there's something I'm missing. The Master is creating a new race of Cybermen using Time Lord bodies. An endlessly regenerating army. I have to stop him. Fast. You shouldn't be here. No humans on Gallifrey.**

"You're not okay Doctor. You really shouldn't be rushing around to deal with everything." Martha said, concern obvious. It was likely the Doctor was close to dealing with shock or being overloaded with everything, between the garbled words and being not quite sure what was going on, plus she was obviously still in some pain. Even if she wasn't, it probably wasn't the right time to have to deal with the Master's latest evil plan.

"Don't have much choice. I have to be okay. Don't have time not to be." The Doctor argued, she was used to compartmentalising and dealing with trauma later, this wasn't much different. She ignored the concerned glances everyone gave her in favour of watching the screen.

**KO SHAMUS: If it helps, we have explosives.  
RYAN: And a plan.  
GRAHAM: A Cybership's parked up in the middle of your hometown. It's ripe for blowing up.  
RAVIO: We're going to strategically place bombs around the ship, including some close enough to the core.**

"Definitely liking that plan." Jack grinned. The three current companions grinned back proudly.

**DOCTOR: Yes. Good. Do that. But it won't achieve everything. A race of CyberMasters. Can't let them off the planet. Have to be stopped. And your bombs aren't going to do that. We need more! But there isn't anything more. The Master's seen to that. The Master's seen to everything.**

The Master smirked, far to smug. It was always gratifying to know your evil plans were (nearly) meticulously planned. Most mad evil geniuses didn't have to deal with the Doctor and her crazy solutions.

**YASMIN: Are you all right, Doctor?  
DOCTOR: That's what's been bugging me. That's the thing that he said to me.**

"And as usual you're having a one -sided conversation with yourself without explaining anything." Rose shook her head fondly. It definitely brought back some good memories.

**ETHAN: What thing who said?  
DOCTOR: The half-converted Cyberman.  
ASHAD [memory]: The death of everything is within me.  
DOCTOR: That's what he said. Oh, what did it mean?  
RAVIO: There is a myth around him.  
YEDLARMI: The Death Particle.  
RAVIO: The legend is, he, it, whatever, has a Particle in a tiny chamber inside its chest. It will take out all organic life on a planet.  
RYAN: That's grim.  
DOCTOR: Or it's a solution. A timer on an explosive to activate the Particle. Clear evacuation plan.  
KO SHARMUS: Only if you've got a way to get us off this planet before it hits.**

"You're on Gallifrey." River said, grin stretching across her face.

Rory looked at her worried. "Are you okay River? Of course, they're on Gallifrey they have been for a while." He looked like he was about to cross the room to check her temperature, ever the nurse.

"I'm fine dad. I mean they're on Gallifrey. Gallifrey where there are Tardises." Her words caused the rest of the room to grin as well, reaching the same conclusion River had. A Tardis was a very good escape plan.

**DOCTOR: You all good to set those explosives? I'll deal with the rest. Meet in the corridor below the carrier. Go on, then. Now, I need to get a fix on The Master. Got him.**

The Master just grumbled in his seat, unhappy to see how quickly his plans were unravelled by a traumatised Doctor and her little human pets. The Doctor just pushed a felling of smugness across their link which he promptly ignored.

**[CyberCarrier]**

**(Various locations.)  
KO SHARMUS: Found the activator core. If this one goes, it'll set off chain reactions across the carrier.  
RAVIO: We're set.  
YEDLARMI: Sweet dreams, losers.  
DOCTOR: Where's the Master? He should be here.  
(She finds the shrunken Cyberman and scans it.)**

"You have the bomb." Mickey nodded, happy to see the plan was going well so far. It wasn't likely to last long, so it was nice to see it while it lasted.

The Doctor nodded back before glancing at the Master. Had he really left it there so she would find it and use it to kill both of them? Had that really been part of his plan? She knew she wouldn't get any answers, he was purposefully dimming their mental link. He was hiding.

**RYAN: The Master? He did that?  
DOCTOR: But the Death Particle is still in place. Just smaller than before. If The Master did this, what happened to the Cyberium?**

The Doctor grimaced at the reminder of the Master taking the Cyberium, that answered her question.

**MASTER [OC]: You think I didn't feel you connecting to me? Laid you a false trail. Left you a gift, though.  
DOCTOR: You and me, Matrix Chamber. No one else. One last time.  
MASTER [OC]: Fine.**

"You're really just going to meet up alone with him after everything he's done?" Jack shook his head in disbelief, he really should have known she'd still do something stupid like that. The Doctor shrugged at him, what else had he expected?

**DOCTOR: I need to get you all off Gallifrey.  
(Ko Sharmus sets his last explosive.)  
KO SHARMUS: Oh, dear. Sorry for the short notice, but it seems that the main trigger device has a mind of its own and has set all the others going. May I suggest a very fast getting the hell off this ship?  
YASMIN: Run!**

The group grinned. "As scheduled, time to run." Amy grinned. One thing they could bet on in their adventures with the Doctor was there would always be running.

**CYBERMEN: Human life form located. Delete. Execute all humans. All humans must be deleted. Humanity shall be eradicated. Incendiary devices identified.  
(The CyberCarrier explodes.)**

Cheers went up around the room at seeing the Cybership blown up. That was one less threat to worry about, their plan was working. Ryan, Graham and Yaz grinned, it had been a great explosion and felt very satisfying after all the danger they'd been in because of the Cybermen.

**[Capitol]**

**GRAHAM: Thanks for the warning.  
KO SHARMUS: You're still alive, aren't you?  
DOCTOR: Everyone, through here.  
GRAHAM: Come on.**

**[Tardis]**

**(A traditional hexagonal console in a room with roundels.)  
RYAN: It's a Tardis. It is a Tardis, right?**

"You were right River." Rory smiled at his daughter who smiled back. She was grateful to have more time with her parents and wife even with all the secrets and messy emotions.

"Anyone else think it's weird seeing it like that and not the cluttered mess the Doctor's usually is?" Bill asked the room.

"It's not a mess!" The Doctor protested drawing laughs from the rest of the group which just made her pout. It really wasn't a mess – she knew where everything was. Well, where most things were. Absolutely, where what she needed was. Most of the time. Occasionally. Okay so maybe it was a little bit messy. Only a little.

**GRAHAM: Looks like it.  
RAVIO: Sorry, what's happening now?**

"Oh yeah, they have no idea what a Tardis is. That's going to be a shock." Jack grinned. He knew the Doctor always enjoyed seeing her companion's reactions to the Tardis and he could understand the reason. The Tardis was beautiful and twenty-first century humans were not prepared in the least to see such a marvel of technology.

**YASMIN: This can take us all home.  
DOCTOR: Don't touch. Still working. Any explosives left?  
KO SHARMUS: One. Emergencies only.  
DOCTOR: Timer?  
KO SHARMUS: Hand detonation only.  
DOCTOR: Yeah. Course. I'll take it.**

That made River sit up turning to the Doctor, suspicion clear on her face. "What are you planning?"

The Doctor schooled her face into an innocent look, which only managed to make River (and the rest of the room watching) more suspicious.

**GRAHAM: So come on, Doc, what are you thinking?  
DOCTOR: One option left. I have to use the Death Particle on Gallifrey. On my home. On the Master and his new breed of Cybermen.  
RYAN: You sure you wanna do that?  
DOCTOR: I'm sure I don't want to do that, but there's no alternative. If the Master and the Cybermen get off this planet, they'll be unstoppable. I started this with Shelley and the Cyberium, now I have to finish it. Alone.**

"Are you seriously trying to go off alone to destroy your planet and yourself? Again!" Clara protested. "I thought we discussed you going off alone."

"This was before that, and yes I'm going alone. There is no point in us all getting killed and the Master is my problem." The Doctor argued. She purposely turned back to the screen, there was no point arguing about it, it was in the past.

**YASMIN: What?  
DOCTOR: The Tardis will take you back to Earth. All of you. You can settle in the 21st century.  
RAVIO: You're not serious.**

"See, even the other humans know it's a stupid decision." Rose pointed out which the doctor ignored. All her companions were against her in this but all she wanted was to protect them.

**DOCTOR: Deadly.  
RYAN: What about you? You detonate that thing, you'll die too.  
DOCTOR: That's the way it has to be. And I would do that in a heartbeat for this universe. For you, my fam.**

The group glanced at her concerned. Several of the videos had already shown how willing to die the Doctor was, this wasn't reassuring in the least.

**YASMIN: We're not letting you go. You're not doing this.  
DOCTOR: Get off me, Yaz. Please.  
RYAN: Yaz, come on.  
DOCTOR: Live great lives.**

"We're discussing your self-destructive tendencies later." River announced, leaving no room for argument. She interrupted the Doctor as she opened her mouth to protest. "No, no arguments. Later." The Doctor closed her mouth, turning decisively back to the screen, after a small glance at her fam with apologetic eyes. She didn't regret saving them but she did regret having to leave them. It hit her then that that had been the last time she had seen them until now.

**[Citadel]**

**(The Master is there with his Cyber-Time Lords.)  
DOCTOR: I definitely said no plus-ones.**

The room shot the Doctor the same look, which simply said, "Really?!"

**MASTER: Well... Oh!  
(The Cyber-TLs aim their weapons at the Doctor.)  
MASTER: Where I go, they go now.  
DOCTOR: Are you going to have them shoot me?  
MASTER: No, Doctor. As of now, I wish my enemies a long and healthy life, so they may witness my many triumphs, because they will be legion.**

"Did you honestly just say you wanted her to live? Can both of you just make up your minds on whether you want to kill each other or yourselves or not!?" Bill threw her hands in the air, shooting disbelieving looks at the pair who were decisively not looking at each other or Bill or anyone else.

**DOCTOR: You're looking peaky.  
MASTER: Oh, yeah. The Cyberium lives in me now, Doctor. Yeah. Yes. See, I've been looking forward to seeing your face about that. I can feel it flowing around in me. The information, the strategy, the... the... the consciousness. It's a beautiful thing. And look at us. I have broken you and created a new race. And now? Now I shall conquer... everything. Oh.**

"It's hurting you. You barely have any control over it. I remember what it was like." The Doctor said, shaking her head at the Master. He just ignored her not wanting to admit how right she was, he hated admitting she was right – it made her far too smug and unbearable.

**DOCTOR: You think you've broken me? You'll have to try harder than that. You've given me a gift. Of myself. You think that could destroy me? You think that makes me lesser? It makes me more. I contain multitudes more than I ever thought or knew. You want me to be scared of it because you're scared of everything. But I am so much more than you.**

The Master flinched at that. Those words had been stuck repeating in his head since the Doctor had said them, the worst thing was he knew she was right. The Doctor noticed his darkening mood through the mind link and couldn't resist getting a peak further into his head to try and see what had caused such a sudden downward spiral in his mood.

When she connected the dots, she couldn't resist talking to him. _"I was lying. I'm not better than you, I'm not better than anyone. But neither are you. You're my equal."_ She'd been so hyped up and messed up with everything that had happened throughout the day she had just spat out the first thing she knew would hurt him, not caring that it had been a lie.

His dark spiral halted, giving way for a new wave of self-hatred and cautious hope. He didn't give a verbal answer but she knew he was taking in what she had said, so she retreated from the link to focus back on the screen. There was still more to come.

**MASTER: Wow. Oh. So, why are we here?  
(She takes the explosive out of her pocket, with the little Ashad stuck to it.)  
MASTER: Oh, good, very good. That's why I left it for you. Wondered if you would... take out me, take out these lifeforms, all those bodies still in the vaults, every organic cellular life form on this planet... forever. And yourself. Do that, would you?**

"To protect people, the Doctor would do almost anything." River stared the Master down.

The Master just smirked. "Almost."

**DOCTOR: Yes. This time, yes.  
MASTER: Go on, then. You were the start of all of this, now finish it. Come on, come on. Come on! Come on, come on! What have you got left anyway? You don't even know your own life. Look how low I have brought you. I have won, Doctor. You may have made me, but I have destroyed you. Become death. Become me. Come on. Come on, come on!**

"Oh great. You're both self-destructive." Amy muttered. The room had tensed up at seeing both of them about to kill themselves.

The Doctor and Master were ignoring the glances the rest of the room were giving them in favour of staring at each other. For once the Doctor hadn't been fully prepared to kill herself, likely because she would also be destroying the Master. The Master was just watching her, trying to puzzle out why she hadn't done it (bar the fact she was a coward, which she was).

" _Did it hurt you so much that you wanted us both to die?"_ The Doctor asked, quite even across their link, she wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer.

" _Everything hurts. This was the only way to get your attention. Only I get to kill you and only you get to kill me."_ The Master's soft honestly was a startling difference from his normal attitude and left her unsure what to say.

" _Life hurts but our relationship doesn't have to. If you want my attention, call me - don't hurt my friends."_ She answered, with a rush of emotions she couldn't quite explain. She didn't want to hope, it wouldn't be the first time the Master had let her down and he wasn't likely to change now, but maybe things didn't have to be quite so painful.

**(She lowers the grenade.)**

The room let out a collective breath, glad to see the Doctor put the detonator down. River squeezed the Doctor's hand, causing her to turn to face her wife who offered a small smile. It was good the Doctor hadn't destroyed herself but there was still the issue of the Master and the Cybermen-Time Lord hybrids to deal with.

**MASTER: For just a moment there, I thought maybe. Argh. Oh Doctor, the universe will suffer for your weakness. I'll make sure of it.  
KO SHARMUS: Not if I have anything to do with it.  
MASTER: Excuse me. No gate-crashers.**

"You already broke the no extra guests rule." Bill pointed out; she was promptly ignored by the Master.

**DOCTOR: You can't still be here. I set the controls.  
KO SHARMUS: I followed you out. They tried to stop me, but I wanted to be sure that these things are gone. And now I can be.**

Graham, Ryan and Yaz shared a glance. Yes, they had tried to stop him but they had also hoped he would be able to save the Doctor and it seems like he had, just in time too.

**DOCTOR: No.  
KO SHARMUS: You didn't start this. I did. I was part of a resistance unit that sent the Cyberium back through Time and space. Though obviously we didn't send it back far enough. So this is my penance. Mine to finish. My journey ends here. But the universe still needs you, so I suggest you run.  
DOCTOR: But...  
KO SHARMUS: Run, Doctor!**

"And yet more running." Rory muttered. The room was honestly glad to see Ko Sharmus save the Doctor.

**MASTER: Don't you dare. Doctor!  
(The Doctor runs out.)**

The Master glared at the Doctor, still furious to see her leave a human to kill him while she escaped. Not that the human had succeeded in killing him but still, it was the principal of the matter. It didn't help the Doctor was ignoring him again, all his schemes for her attention and she still paid more attention to the little humans than him.

**KO SHARMUS: Still feeling confident?  
(The Doctor sonics her way into another Tardis.)  
MASTER: Kill him.  
KO SHARMUS: Killed you first.  
(He falls under multiple blasts, then triggers the explosive.)**

The room looked down in honour for Ko Sharmus' sacrifice. They knew the Master hadn't been destroyed in the blast (as he was unfortunately in the room with them) but they way he was glowering at the screen and Doctor, suggested his plan had been stopped and the CyberMasters destroyed.

**MASTER: All of you, through here, now!  
(The Capitol explodes.)**

**[Housing Estate]**

**(A detached house appears and Ravio steps out of the front door.)  
RAVIO: This is Earth. Oh. We're on Earth.  
YASMIN: We're home. She got us home. But what happens to her?**

"I'll be fine Yaz. I'm just glad you got home safe." The Doctor smiled at her current companions. They'd said they had gotten home safe and she knew she had put in the right coordinates but it was still good to actually see them arrive safe.

"You got them to the right place? That's rare." Martha joked.

"Hey I got you home safe and at the right time and place, mostly." The Doctor protested.

Rose laughed. "Maybe us but I remember Sarah Jane saying something about Aberdeen." That made the Doctor blush in embarrassment, she'd mostly forgotten that.

"Sarah Jane?" Bill asked curiously.

"Sarah Jane Smith, she travelled with me in my third and fourth face and I've run into her several times since then. She's a reporter and investigates the weirder stuff. That's how Rose and Mickey met her." The Doctor explained, smiling fondly at the mention of her Sarah Jane. She wondered how Sarah Jane would react to seeing her like this.

She ignored Mickey's muttering about a tin dog in favour of Yaz's question. "Where were you supposed to drop her off? I'm guessing it wasn't near Aberdeen."

The Doctor blushed again, why did Rose have to bring this up. "Croydon's not that far from Aberdeen." Everyone burst out laughing at that, causing the Doctor to try and hide her face in her hands. She knew all her companions meeting would only lead to her embarrassment.

**[Quarry]**

**(The Doctor steps out from a tree.)  
DOCTOR: Oh yeah, nice. Good chameleon circuit. I'm going to have to leave you there, though. I can think of worse places to spend eternity.  
(She walks over to a blue Police Box.)  
DOCTOR: Hello, mate.**

"You just left the other Tardis where anyone can find it?" Jack asked.

"It's not like there's many people around plus the chameleon circuit actually works. No one will find it. Besides, what was I going to do with two Tardises?" The Doctor reasoned; Jack just shook his head fondly at her.

**[Tardis]**

**(It powers up as she walks in.)  
DOCTOR: Thanks. Home sweet home. They got a lift back another way. Don't get jealous. I'll pick them up now. Maybe just need a moment.**

"You were coming back for us?" Yaz asked, she knew the Doctor had said she was but she still liked the confirmation. Graham and Ryan seemed to agree with her.

"Of course, I was. You're my fam. I just needed a minute to think." The Doctor smiled reassuringly. That was one of the things that had kept her going in prison so far – the fact that her fam was waiting for her to escape and come back.

The rest of the room watched the exchange, the wording was worrying them and they hadn't forgotten that the Doctor had arrived separately to the three current companions. Clearly something had gone wrong.

**(Suddenly a klaxon sounds, then three Judoon beam in.)**

"Seriously! What now?!" Clara complained, throwing her hands in the air. Just when things seemed to be finished and the danger over, something else happened. Just typical.

**DOCTOR: What?  
JUDOON: Judoon Cold Case Unit. Fugitive, the Doctor. Sentence, whole of life imprisonment, maximum security facility.**

**[Prison cell]**

**DOCTOR: What? What?!  
(This prison is built into an asteroid in deep space. So not Stormcage, then.)**

"Well, that's just typical. You get out of trouble on Gallifrey and find it elsewhere instead." Amy huffed.

"So, what did they get you for?" Jack asked slyly, teasing grin prominent.

The Doctor grinned back. "Mostly evading them last time with Ruth then they took into consideration another 7000 crimes."

Jack laughed. "You've been busy." Then he paused, glancing back at her. "Only 7000?" The rest of the room laughed as well.

Yaz, Graham and Ryan shared a glance, so they were stuck at home and the Doctor was really stuck in prison. It was reassuring to know she hadn't abandoned them and really had planned to come back, now they just had to figure out how to get her out of prison.

Just as the room calmed down, taking in that the video was finished, the Tardis appeared in front of the screen. "Goodbye! Or is it hello?" She announced cheerfully, giving the group a second to take in her presence before continuing. "You've all now seen the truth. But there is still so much to see. The next videos are stray adventures, some holding more weight than others. They will allow you to learn so much about each other and offer comfort and answers. Enjoy!" With that she disappeared.

Looking around the room, the Doctor sprung to her feet, taking advantage of the group still taking in the Tardis's words. "Well, that's the video done. I think we should have a break, maybe try and get some sleep; it's been a really long day." With that she sped out the room, dodging River and Jack's attempts to grab her. She was making her escape while she could.

She walked swiftly (barely avoiding running) down the corridor heading towards the Garden in hopes no one would look for her there first. She needed a break from everyone else before she dealt with anymore emotionally charged conversations. She reached the door quickly and slipped in, shutting the door quietly behind her.

The room was beautiful. It was only one of the Tardis's many gardens, but it was one of her favourites, which was likely why the Tardis had included it. She took in a deep breath of artificial garden air as she looked around the space. It looked like a normal picturesque park, trees in full bloom around the edges with well-groomed flower patches and grass. Simple wooden benches were placed around the room to fully enjoy the space, she liked the simplicity of the space and it was always peaceful.

She crumpled to the ground, her back to a bench in the furthest corner of the park from the door, half hidden by some bushes. Everything was crazy. She'd gone from being stuck alone in prison, trapped with her thoughts and now here she was surrounded by friends and family (and the Master, whatever he was to her) watching her adventures. There were so many things she didn't want them to see but at the same time she was so happy to be able to spend time with them. She couldn't put into words how much her hearts ached form them some days.

She was allowed ten minutes on her own before River and Jack found her, hiding in her little corner, head to her knees. She heard them approach before she spotted them, they were muttering quietly to each other as they explored the garden room, not in any hurry. She didn't look up even when she could see their feet, both were standing in front of her, blocking any route of escape.

"Oh sweetie." River sighed softly before kneeling down in front of her, reaching out to settle a hand on one of her knees. She heard Jack grunt as he settled down in a crouch in front of her as well.

She gave up on her attempts to ignore them, they weren't going to leave her alone. She raised her head, and met River's eyes which were almost watering. It finally hit her how much River must have been affected by the video, she wasn't exactly one for tears unless the situation really demanded it, she was more likely to shoot something than cry about it.

"As lovely as this is ladies, do you think we can actually sit on the bench for this conversation, my knees are killing me." Jack interrupted, pushing himself back to his feet with a groan and settling on the bench.

"You're just getting old Jack." The Doctor teased, letting River pull her to her feet and settle her on the bench. Like in the tv room she was squished between the pair, leaving no room for escape.

"You can talk!" Jack exclaimed. His words caused her to flinch which didn't go unnoticed by the pair.

Jack sighed, "Sorry Doctor." Silence reigned for several minutes, the only sound in the room was the artificial bird song projected across the room. All three time-travellers were lost in thought, unsure what to say.

It was River that finally broke the silence. "How are you feeling?" Her voice was quiet but reassuringly steady.

The Doctor opened her mouth to spout out a quick answer but a sharp look from River stopped her. She took a deep breath before going to answer, honestly this time (she wouldn't get away with anything else between these two). "I don't know. I'm angry and frustrated and confused. I don't think its really hit me, I'm not sure I believe it still."

"Do you think the Master lied?" Jack asked, not accusing just a simple question.

"Honestly? No. He's really broken up about it and it would explain a few things but-." She waved her hands one-heartedly unable to vocally express what she wanted to say, the pair seemed to understand anyway.

"I know it's not quite the same but I get it. I was furious when I discovered the Time Agency had stolen two years of my memories and I hate that I don't know what I'm missing. But it led me to you and Rose and I don't regret that. The time I spent with you are some of my fondest memories and it opened so many doors and gave me so many things I would never have had otherwise." Jack explained softly. "Do I still think about those memories? Yes. Would I still like them back? Yes. Does it change who I am? No."

"Thank you, Jack." The Doctor whispered. It wasn't often that Jack talked about his missing memories but she had known they affected him. It was nice to hear his honesty and reassurance. She hadn't expected the conversation to go like this but she was glad it had; she wasn't sure she could handle any shouting.

"Come on, the others are all waiting for us." River tugged her back to her feet, linking her hand with her wife's before leading her back across the grass and towards the door. She couldn't help but drag her feet a bit, unready to deal with – well, everything. Jack strolled beside them, sharing one of his latest stories in an attempt to distract her, which she appreciated despite it not working.

She was practically dragged along the corridor and towards the kitchen. As she entered, she spotted all of her companions settled around one of the biggest tables – with enough seats for everyone. They were all chatting away, purposely ignoring their entrance despite the fact that she knew they had spotted their presence. The only person suspiciously missing was the Master. River seemed to realise what she was thinking and leaned down (curse her short legs) and whispered in her ear. "He disappeared into his room just after you left." Well, that meant he wouldn't be causing any trouble at least.

River settled her into a seat on the far side of the table, facing the door, with Jack and River taking a seat on either side of her again. Next to River on her left was Amy and then Rory with an empty seat at the end of the table. On Jack's side was Rose then Donna, with Nardole at the head of the table that side. Next to him was Marth, then Mickey. Clara was directly opposite the Doctor, with Bill then Yaz, Graham and Ryan on her right.

The talking quietened down as the three of them settled down in their seats. "So, dearly beloved we are gathered here today -."

"Jack!" Half the group shouted, dissolving into fond laughter. It helped break up the remanets on the tension that had been hanging onto the room, no one sure how to beach the topic they were here to discuss.

"How are you doing Doctor? With everything I mean." Clara asked, eyes wide as she stared the Doctor down.

The Doctor shrugged. "I don't know. Prison has given me plenty of time to think. I'm angry about everything but it doesn't change who I am now … Do we really have to discuss this?"

"Yes, sweetie. We're worried about you. The last few videos have shown you aren't really taking care of yourself." River said, reaching under the table to grab the Doctor's hand again.

"I have bad days. We all do. But when I was given the chance to just end everything in the Matrix Chamber I didn't, that should mean something." The Doctor sighed, not looking up from the table.

"And it does, Doc. But that doesn't mean that one day something similar will happen and it won't be one of your good days. We're just worried love." Graham said softly.

The Doctor shifted in her seat uncomfortable, it wasn't exactly a lie but there wasn't anything she could do about it. She didn't lift her gaze from the table and left the room to descend back into silence.

"Okay, we're far too tired and emotional for any real conversation. Let's all get some sleep before the next video. Doctor, we're here for you no matter what. Actually, that goes for everyone here, we're family and if you need anything we'll all be here." Jack announced, jumping to his feet with a clap. He met everyone's gaze before heading back out towards the corridor.

The rest of the room took that as their que to do the same, slowly dispersing from the kitchen back out to towards the corridor where the doors leading off to their rooms were. All the doors were labelled with everyone's names, the Tardis having managed to recreate their rooms here. Everyone had their own rooms, barring Martha and Mickey, and Amy and Rory who both had shared rooms as married couples. Despite being married, River and the Doctor had separate rooms as thy both had different tastes and sometimes needed a break from each other.

Soon the kitchen was empty of everyone but the Doctor and River who hadn't moved from their seats on the table, just watching the others dispense silently. It had been a very long and emotional day. When they were finally alone, River turned to her wife, squeezing her hand. "Coming to bed, Sweetie?"

The Doctor shook her head. "I need a few moments of peace first. You go on ahead, I'll be there soon." River watched her for several minutes, searching for something in her face before nodding her agreement.

"Alright, but don't stay up too long. It sounds like we have even more fun to look forward to." River winked before standing and leaving the room with one last glimpse at the Doctor who offered a small smile. Then she was alone.

River was right, it seemed like the Tardis still had plenty to show them and the next few days (or however long they would be there) would be long. The last few videos had been very emotional and it had been a shock to her system to be around so many people after being alone in her cell for son long. But she couldn't regret it, she loved being able to spend time with her friends, her family again. People she had thought were lost to her.

The pain and embarrassment of them all seeing her adventures, seeing things she had never wanted anyone to see, was maybe worth it for the chance to be with them again, even if only for a short while. She couldn't make up her mind, there were certainly some things she had never wanted anyone to know – some just embarrassing and others she was scared to be revealed. She dreaded everyone finding out about her time in her confession dial, Clara's especially. Both River and Clara knew about it but neither knew the details.

River knew more than almost anyone about her adventures, they'd had plenty of time to talk during their twenty-four years of domestic bliss on Darillium but it didn't men she knew everything, just like how the Doctor definitely didn't know everything about River's adventures. They both still had their secrets and they were both aware of that, it was okay with them, they understood the reasons for them. Jack also knew a fair amount between his own experiences, travels across the universe and UNIT files but there was still plenty he knew nothing about. That just left the Master who likely knew the most about her. Maybe not individual adventures but the most about her, especially before she had met any of her companions or any of _these_ companions really.

The rest of the group knew varied amounts, some more and other less just because of what had happened on their adventures and what regeneration she was on. It would be interesting to see what the Tardis would show them and there were definitely some adventures she would be happy to watch but there were so many she was dreading. But there wasn't anything she could do about it.

With a sigh she pushed herself to her feet and walked through the empty corridor towards River's room, she felt like she needed some company and if there was one thing she wanted right now. It was to just be able to hold her wife again. She really needed some actual sleep if she wanted to be able to deal with the next while. After all, there was plenty more to come.


End file.
